Under the Eclipse
by ForAnEye
Summary: An unlikely duelist wins the world championship, an old duelist's academy is reopened, and a girl living in her sister's shadow seeks to come into her own. All the while, a mysterious cabal of duelists plot the end of the world.
1. The Tournament

"_Ladies and gentlemen! It is my extraordinary pleasure to welcome you to the final bout of the Duel Monsters World Championship! You've seen our challenger fight her way to the top with the most unlikely deck of all, but can she come face to face with the World Champion?"_

The announcer's voice sounded faker than ever before. I'd been listening to him all day, shouting himself hoarse every time numbers and monsters got big enough. I'd thanked my lucky stars that he wasn't doing color commentary, or I'd have given in and gone home by then. What would they have said about me then? Me, a no-name last-minute entry who somehow toppled one regional champion after another, getting up and leaving right before the big game. Up until now, I'd bet everyone in that crowd was just waiting for my hot streak to burn itself out. They wanted to see someone big go up against the champ, have a real clash of the titans, but then this pale, weedy girl comes out of nowhere and makes fools of them all.

I stood up and stretched, my ass feeling sore from the bench, and then felt around for my duel disk. They gave me a fancy, tournament-exclusive model. Smooth edges and rounded bits, like those pretty little numbers they've got at the academies. I thought about the ratty, buggy KC piece of shit I had sitting under my bed back home. I was hoping they'd let me keep this big-shit duel disk if I lost, since my old one would never display Xyz monsters right.

The tournament disk was heavy, but it fit my deck and arm like a dream, with a neat little automatic shuffle and draw system. It even had a fancy holograph interface for picking cards from the deck and checking out monster stats. As far as I knew, these hadn't even been released to the general public yet, and the palms you'd have to grease to get one were way beyond my means. I held it up close to my chest as I made my way out of the prep room, feeling the camera's gaze on me as I left. The tournament kept eyes on you no matter where you were or what you were doing, and I guess it's hard to blame them when five hundred mil's on the line. We had to sign a big waiver before getting in, so that no matter what – if you were pissing, reading, whatever – we'd have a camera on us to make sure we weren't doing anything shady. I'd bet the duel disk had some anti-tampering gear, too, and they probably had a lock on my deck to make sure I didn't sneak anything in or out during the game.

I'll be honest, I didn't know anything about the champion. Not like it was really my fault; the guy was as reclusive as they come, and there was all this legal shit about releasing recordings or details of his final duel. I don't know if the guy just didn't like attention, he wanted to keep his strategies secret, or what. All I had were rumors, and they weren't any help since everyone who claimed they were at the tournament said the champ had the most powerful card they'd ever seen. I didn't believe half of what they said about it, and most of it's hardly worth repeating, but it worried me. Not a single person I talked to had anything skeptical to say about the champion. I went into this knowing I might end up like Icarus, but I'd have been happy for just that moment in the sun.

Then it was back out into the crowd, a million voices all shouting for me and the mysterious world champion. The arena was like a tennis court, big and expansive. The corners were covered in fancy holography arrays that could interface with the duel disks, making all the attacks bigger and louder. Sometimes they'd even make the monsters move around and face the crowd when a turn was dragging on, and once or twice I thought I heard one talk. I wasn't a foot out the door before a bunch of boys in white shirts were making sure I was mic'd and straightened out. Nobody could keep me from looking like a scruffy punk, but they sure tried.

"_We've kept you waiting long enough, and it's time to find out! Ladies and gentlemen, on the red side, our challenger – Kimberly O'Leary!"_

The crowd erupted. There wasn't enough cheering or derision for me to make it out one way or the other, just a wall of sound that slammed into my ears and made me hate that fucking announcer all the more. I played my part, spreading my arms above my head and nodding at the crowd like they owed me something. New eardrums, maybe.

The lights went out, leaving me in the pale glow cast by the holography arrays. The crowd was pretty freaked out, but a few of them were already cheering like they knew what was up. The champion had pulled this routine before. The announcer cut in just in time to stop a panic.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, feast your eyes on the blue side! I give you the Duel Monsters World Champion... Shinichi Kanzaki!"_

The arena lit up, forcing me to squint my eye along with most of the rest of the crowd. I brought my hand up out of reflex, bumping my nose against the hard metal of my duel disk and making me cough. I hope nobody saw it, seeing as how I looked like a total klutz.

When my eyes stopped stinging, I brought my hand down and checked my nose. No bleeding, thank god. I didn't want them to think the champ had gotten to me just yet. I looked first to the far end of the arena, and then to the big screens lined up above each set of seats. There he was – the Duel Monsters world champion, the mystery man who everybody said had a totally unstoppable card. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't what I got. I stared at the screen for longer than I should have, expecting some kind of big reveal, but nothing happened.

Shinichi Kanzaki was the most normal-looking guy I'd ever seen. Button-up shirt and jeans, brown hair in slightly better shape than mine, and a completely unremarkable face. He was the sort of guy you'd walk by in the street and hardly even notice. Standing opposite to me, all platform boots and leather, I looked like a traveling circus.

"_Before we begin, do either of our brave competitors have something to say?"_

Shinichi waved a hand and then motioned to me. There was a buzz in my ear, letting me know my mic was on. Bastard had put me on the spot, and my mind raced for something that sounded cool. I took in a breath, straightened my stance, and nodded in his direction.

"There's only two ways this can end."

The crowd cheered, and I couldn't keep myself from grinning. The announcer piped up again.

"_Bold words. I think it's time to see for ourselves! Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the moment you've all been waiting for. Would the competitors please ready their duel disks?"_

I held my arm out and horizontal. I was used to the weight, by now. The card-zones snapped out of either side with loud _clack!_ The life-point display flickered to life just above the deck: **8000**.

"_And now, without further ado, it's time to duel!"_

The holoprojector on the top of my duel disk hummed – it was my turn. Five cards were dispensed into my hand with a whirr from the auto-draw system, and I brought them up to my face. "Not bad," I muttered, just loud enough for the microphone to pick up. "Alright, I'll set this monster in face-down defense position and end my turn." I had no idea what to think of Shinichi, so I stayed on the defensive. If his monsters were all so unstoppable, I figured he wouldn't see any problem in attacking. A giant, horizontal facedown card appeared before me, casting a shadow on the ground beneath it.

"I draw," stated Shinichi. His voice was low, but what struck me most was how calm he was. He didn't have the whole cold, emotionless shtick going on, either. In fact, he almost sounded bored. "I've watched your duels, you know." He went on, looking at me instead of his hand. "You've gotten this far because you've been underestimated, you _and _your cards."

"You might be right," I answered, playing it cool. I swept a lock of hair back behind my ear, doing my best to make it look like the World fucking Champion wasn't worth my time. "What of it?"

Shinichi gave me that weird little smile of his. "I wonder how you'll do against someone who knows what you're capable of." Before I could reply, his hands were in motion. "I set one monster in face-down defense position and set two cards as well. Your move, Miss O'Leary."

"Alright, I draw." I tried not to sound as annoyed as I was. Shinichi was right. Between me and my cards, the regional champions thought I was some kind of joke. When the tables turned, I'd caught them off guard, each one thinking they'd figured me out until I pulled off something new.

I turned over the card I'd just drawn – Shinichi was going to make my life hard if he didn't go on the offensive. I was expecting a bolder play from the World Champion, but if he'd figured me out as well as he seemed to think, he'd force my hand sooner or later. "I'll set one more card facedown," I declared. "It's all you, Shinichi."

Shinichi chuckled, drawing his next card. "I was glad you made it this far. You proved how easy it is to dupe a professional player, but now you're starting to disappoint me." I wanted to retort, but he kept going. Before he did, I noticed how quiet the crowd had gotten. He had their total attention. "If you keep treating me like the regional champions, this is going to be even easier than I thought. I'll flip my facedown monster – A Cat of Ill Omen!" The air shimmered and a fat, fluffy black cat covered in golden jewelry appeared. "Its special ability allows me to take one trap card from my deck and place it on top." The holodisplay on his duel disk popped up, and he selected a card I didn't recognize.

The cat had pathetic attack and defense, but I wasn't in a position to take advantage of it. It sat there, staring at me with those big, red eyes. I never liked cats, and I was hating this thing the more I learned about it.

"The clock is ticking, Miss O'Leary. I'm one card away from victory." There was that tiny smile again, paired with a look in his eyes that made me want to punch him square in the face. "Your move."

"Draw!" I didn't know what he had planned, but I needed to act. As luck would have it, the card I'd drawn was exactly the one I needed. "Don't count me out so quickly, huh? This duel hasn't even started yet." I get a little corny when I'm in the moment, so what? The habit fits in just fine. I pulled my newest acquisition from my hand and slid it into one of the slots at the bottom of the duel disk.

"I'll activate this spell card – Creature Swap!"

Shinichi quirked a brow.

"Our monsters exchange sides," I explained. "That means that I'll be taking that black cat." In a flash, I was staring at the back of Shinichi's cat, while my set card was sitting on Shinichi's side of the field. He didn't seem impressed, pulling up a holodisplay to examine the new card in his possession.

"Interesting. Is that all, Miss O'Leary?"

"Far from it!" Shinichi's tone hadn't changed once, bastard let me believe I had the upper hand. I practically slammed my next card down onto the duel disk. "I summon Junk Synchron, in attack mode!" My favorite little chunky machine popped into being beside the cat, buzzing and hopping around.

"But he won't be around long. I'll tune him to your black cat, in order to synchro summon..." He was gone in a flash, an array of green rings flickering into being in his place. My old KC rig always fucked this part up, and it'd been ages since I'd seen it in full. The rings whirled around Shinichi's black cat, turning it into a glowing yellow silhouette that shot skyward. The silhouette split, turning into a pair of gleaming stars. I loved this part, but I couldn't enjoy it. My eye was on Shinichi, watching his face. He wasn't even looking, staring right into his hand as a column of light shot through the stars, bringing my monster with it.

There he was. My best buddy in the whole deck – a mass of icy spikes branching out from some kind of metal breastplate, topped with a rounded helmet that had two mean red eyes staring out of it.

"...Frozen Fitzgerald!"

I could hear the crowd again, hooting and cheering. Whatever spell Shinichi had put on them, my flashy summon was starting to lift it. Everyone's eyes were on frozen demon, which loomed over the field like the specter of death itself. For a few moments, I felt like a real badass.

That's when I realized that Shinichi was almost snickering, and I lost my temper. "What's so funny?!"

"Frozen Fitzgerald," he repeated. "You used that card in your last duel, didn't you? Its special ability prevents me from activating any cards when it attacks. It's the strongest card in your deck, wouldn't you say?"

I glowered. "What's your point?"

Shinichi shrugged. "Nothing. I'm surprised to see it so early, though. You're not getting desperate, are you?"

"I'll show you desperate!" I snapped. "Frozen Fitzgerald, attack his face-down monster! Gale of doom!" And just like that, a gust of icy wind whipped through the arena, forcing the card face-up and encasing it in a block of ice. They could only see it for a moment – it was short, with a spindly little body and a great big head, deep blue skin that stood out under the ice. It had all gone according to plan. "Recognize that card, Shinichi?"

"Ojama Blue," Shinichi answered. "You caught a lot of tournament players out with this one too, didn't you?"

"That's right! And when she's destroyed by battle, I get to add two 'Ojama' cards from my deck to my hand. Talk about victory all you like, Shinichi. Everything's going to plan over here." The holodisplay popped up, and I selected my cards. With a buzz, they were shoved out of the deck, and I slipped them triumphantly into my hand. "And that's my turn. Still think I'm running out of options?"

Shinichi didn't answer, drawing his next card. He'd wasted a draw digging up his trap card, and with Frozen Fitzgerald on the field I hardly needed to worry. Sure enough, he didn't do much. "I set two cards facedown and end my turn."

It was my turn to laugh, and I tilted my head to make sure the cameras caught my smirk. "You haven't forgotten about Fitzgerald's effect already, have you? All the set cards in the world won't make a difference." I drew my next card, barely even glancing at it. I'd been waiting for a chance to gloat the whole duel.

"On the contrary, Miss O'Leary..." There Shinichi went, ruining my moment. "I might not be able to activate cards when Frozen Fitzgerald attacks, but there's still the rest of your turn. And I think I'll start with this one – Metal Reflect Slime!" One of his set cards lifted up, and something slithered out of it; a blob of shimmering, reflective stuff, like mercury. The way it shifted and twisted made my eyes hurt, and it plopped right down in front of Fitzgerald like it was no big deal. "When Metal Reflect Slime is activated, it summons itself onto the field as a monster. Make a note of its defense – your overgrown snowman doesn't have a prayer of destroying it."

It only took a glance at my holodisplay to confirm what he said. Fitzgerald's 2500 attack was nothing to sneeze at, but Shinichi's wad of ooze had a whole 3000 defense. There weren't many monsters in the game that could topple something like that with brute force, so it looked like I'd been stopped dead in my tracks. I bit back a few words that would've gotten me disqualified, and gave him a look. "Fine. I'll set this card facedown, and that's all. Looks like it's your move, Shinichi."

Shinichi drew, smiled, and looked back up at me. "I had my hopes for a longer bout, Miss O'Leary, but I'm sad to say that you've been hardly a challenge." He plucked a card from his hand, and dropped it down onto the field. I figured this was it – maybe he'd mop the floor with me and Fitzgerald, but at least I'd be able to see what this big, unstoppable monster is. Lawsuits be damned, I'd blog my ass off when I got home.

"I summon Tour Guide from the Underworld, in attack mode!" I'd seen this card before, she was a favorite with the bigtime players. A purple-haired girl in some kind of demon pantsuit with a purse and a creepy laugh – I never got used to that laugh. "As you well know, Tour Guide from the Underworld lets me summon another level three fiend-type monster out of my deck." Yet another purple-haired girl appeared on the other side of the shining Slime. They couldn't hope to handle a blow from Fitzgerald, but it didn't take a genius to tell that Shinichi wasn't done.

"I hope you're ready, Miss O'Leary, because this is where our duel ends. I activate the spell card – Galaxy Queen's Light!"

"What the hell does that do?" One of the referees gave me a dirty look.

"Galaxy Queen's Light lets me select one monster on my field, and change the levels of all other monsters I control to match it." Shinichi sounded ready to burst out laughing.

"But your two monsters are the same level already. Is this some kind of joke?"

"You're forgetting about Metal Reflect Slime, Miss O'Leary. Even though it's a trap card, as a monster on the field it's level ten!"

Shit.

"So, you're..." I must've looked like somebody hit me with a brick. Going to all that trouble to get three level ten monsters could only mean one thing; "You're going to Xyz summon!"

Shinichi had dropped any pretense of toying with me. "That's right, Miss O'Leary. I'll construct the overlay network with these three cards!" A spiraling red portal exploded onto the stadium, reducing the monsters to glowing balls of light and dragging them inside. "Behold, my most powerful card – Superdimensional Robot Galaxy Destroyer!"

By the time he finished saying the name, it was already staring me down. Fifty feet of blue and purple metal looking like something out of the fucking Power Rangers. My holodisplay gave me numbers I didn't like – 5000 attack, 2000 defense. There was no easy way to say it, but Fitzgerald and I were about to be in a world of hurt.

"I hope you're as honored as you should be, Miss O'Leary. There aren't many people in the world who get to see the full power of my deck."

I grit my teeth. If I didn't bite back, I'd look like a real chump. I tucked my hair behind my ear again, loosening up. I forced a smile. "So, this is the unstoppable card everyone's been talking about? Gotta say, Shinichi, I'm not impressed."

"Oh, and why is that?"

Damn it, why _is _that? I searched my hand and field for something, _anything_ that I could bluff with. That's when I caught it – I still had a trap card facedown on the field! Shinichi wouldn't dare kill his crowd-pleaser over a little trick like that, would he? "Because big numbers don't mean anything. Go ahead, attack – if you really want to risk my trap card."

Shinichi was unfazed. "Oh, did I forget to mention Galaxy Destroyer's special ability? By detaching one of its Xyz materials, I can destroy every spell and trap card you control." One of the little balls of light orbiting around Shinichi's sentai wet-dream disappeared, and it turned its face toward me. At times like that, it's easy to forget that they're all holograms. Staring down that giant machine was one of the scariest things I've ever done in my life, and it didn't help when it started shooting lasers out of its eyes.

My set card, and my chance to stall for time, went up in flames.

"For your sake, we're going to end this duel quickly. I equip Galaxy Destroyer with Xyz Unit! Magic card, make my monster grow!" Sure enough, that robot began to grow, swelling up at least a third bigger. Another little glow-ball appeared in orbit around it, too. "Xyz unit gives my monster two hundred attack points for each rank it has, giving it a total of seven thousand!"

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sweating. Every card this guy played was making my life worse, and I could already tell he wasn't done just yet.

"It would be so easy for my Galaxy Destroyer to put your precious Fitzgerald on ice, Miss Kimberly, but I _did _say I'd end this duel quickly. Now, I'll activate another spell card – Xyz Energy! By detaching another overlay unit, I can destroy one monster you control."

A column of light came down like the wrath of the almighty, consuming Fitzgerald. I think I screamed. I couldn't hear anything over the sound it made, an explosive rumble ten times worse than the crowd could ever be. My ears hurt from the sound and my eyes stung from the light, and I shrank back.

When the light and sounded faded and my head stopped hurting, I realized I could hear Shinichi laughing. He'd dropped any pretense of being a cool, casual guy. He was enjoying this, maybe even more than he would've enjoyed crushing someone with a title. Icarus, right? I was a mere mortal overstepping my station, and gods always love bringing down the hammer on impudent little shits. Right then and there, I was staring down a mighty big hammer.

"Now, Superdimensional Robot Galaxy Destroyer, attack her lifepoints directly! Superdimensional Starburst!" The panels on its chest, which were helpfully marked G and D, slid forward and then out. A long metal barrel slid out, covered in all kinds of blinking lights and pointless accents, and turned down towards me. I stepped back, nearly tripping over my own feet, but there was nothing I could do.


	2. Morning

Zheng Tian had not been a child for a very long time. The past few years had been spent quietly creeping through her mid-fifties, and Zheng met the increasing lack of excitement with acceptance, if not contentedness. She delighted in waking up of her own accord, presiding over a warm cup of tea and a glowing television for the morning and whiling away the afternoons with a good book. Her life had slowed to a crawl, and Zheng had taken well to a lazy routine. Her little flat felt thousands of miles away from the troubles of her old life, and she had only ever heard the phrase 'Duel Monsters' in passing since her retirement. If she never held a hand of cards again, and never had to wear her throat out declaring monster names or spell effects, she could live out the rest of her days quite happily.

The morning of the Duel Monsters World Championship was different. Zheng awoke more slowly than usual, her reluctance to get out of bed altogether more pronounced. Every bone in her body felt ten pounds heavier as she made her way into the kitchen, groping blearily around the shelves for the package of tea. Around the corner was the living room, and she deliberately turned away from it as she set the kettle on the stove and prepared her cup. She caught sight of the large, dark shape of the television out of the corner of her eye and barely noticed how it made her grimace. Once her tea was ready, she retired immediately to her study on the far side of the house.

She settled down behind a dark oaken desk, surrounded by bookcases that stretched from wall to wall. The study was cramped and gloomy, a small window behind her casting a pale halo of light around her desk. The air was heavy, laden as it was with the smell of old books and the faint tang of Zheng's tea, and quiet save for the sound of her own breath. Zheng felt at peace; she could not hear the rumble of the air conditioner or the buzz of her bedroom fan, and the room had no electric lighting to speak of. Her mind stilled, her body relaxed, but the warmth of her tea was replaced by an unpleasant chill. Zheng had not been a child for a very long time, but she came to the bitter realization that she still hid from the things she feared most.

She tried to reason with herself, thinking on how foolish it was that she couldn't sit down and watch a game on the television. The duelists on the screen would not climb out of her television and challenge her, and she doubted that anything particularly exciting would happen this year. A few flashy holographic monsters, some theatrics on the part of the duelists, and the commentators could spend their time crowing about new strategies in the midst of it all. She decided then that she would face it, kill these petty fears and be done with the whole lot of it. She stood abruptly, expression hardened, and was halfway out of the room before she realized she still had a cup of tea to finish.

She turned, gathering the teacup with a sweep of her hand; a little deviation from the routine was no reason to deprive herself of good tea. No sooner had she brought the rim of the cup to her mouth than the phone on her desk began to ring. Zheng's phone was an older model, its ring had a sharp and grating quality to it. It was shrill on its own, and seemed all the louder for the silence it had interrupted. Zheng's teacup fell to the floor with a dull clink, its contents darkly staining the wood. Her hand was shaking, her fingers bent as though still grasping the cup, and her eyes turned to the still-ringing phone in a furious glare.

Before she had time to raise a proper ire in her thoughts, her hand closed around the phone and drew it to her ear. She managed a hoarse "Hello?" which sounded more weary than angry, and it stood in stark contrast to the voice she heard in reply.

"Zheng!" came the jolly, all-too-familiar voice. "How's my favorite duelist?"

The voice Zheng heard was as rife with enthusiasm then as it had ever been. As it filled her ears, Zheng nearly forgot the broken teacup and the awful ringing of the phone.

"Not a bad match this morning, huh?" The voice continued, seemingly quite unconcerned with Zheng's silence. "I couldn't get tickets in time, so I'm watching it on TV. I think we'll be getting to the finals in the next half hour; have you seen that redhead kid play? They say she's going straight to the top, and with a deck like hers..."

Zheng found her voice after a summarily awkward silence; "I, ah... have not been watching the game, Ivana. I do not keep up with Duel Monsters anymore."

Ivana made a sound that might've been an attempt to suppress a laugh, though Zheng wanted to think it was a shocked gasp. "You don't keep up with Duel Monsters anymore? Zheng, it's too early in the morning for jokes. Now, there's this kid with a killer Karakuri-"

"Ivana," Zheng sounded appreciably less hoarse. "I have retired. I have not given Duel Monsters a single thought for years."

Ivana didn't miss a beat. "Well, now's a great time to get back into it! Watch the game, Zheng. The finals are going to be on soon, and you need to see this kid's deck. If that doesn't inspire you to get back into the game, I don't know what will."

"Look, I..." Zheng's protests died in her throat, and Ivana didn't seem content to let her finish anyway.

"One duel isn't going to kill you, Zheng. Have some coffee, spend twenty minutes on the couch, and you can go back to being 'retired.'" Zheng grit her teeth, Ivana had said the word 'retired' as though it were part of some inside joke between them. "If you're not going to watch it for yourself, do it for a friend? What have I ever asked of you?"

Zheng sighed, glancing down to the ruined cup on her floor. "Alright, Ivana. You win, I will watch the game." She paused, pulling the handset away to hang it up before quickly drawing it back to her ear. "But if I hear the word 'deck' out of your mouth again, I am unplugging my phone."

"Whatever you say, Zheng. Toodle-oo!" Before Zheng could ruminate on when anyone has ever said 'toodle-oo' to her, she heard a click on the other end and knew Ivana had gone.

Zheng could not recount how she had managed to arrive on the couch, nor where her tea had went. The path out of her study had been nothing short of a blur, her thoughts consumed by Ivana and her rather timely call. What were the chances that she would call at that exact moment, right as Zheng had overcome her unease? Ivana, for all her feigned surprise upon hearing of Zheng's retirement, must have known about it well in advance. Of all people, Ivana would be the one to know; it was not so much that Ivana had her finger on the pulse of the modern dueling scene but that she seemed to be giving it open-heart surgery.

Zheng shook these thoughts from her mind, groping through the cushions for her discarded remote.


	3. A Couple of Punks

Before I knew it, I was on my hands and knees. It was all simulated light and sound, but I swear it felt like I was burning. If the beam that destroyed Fitzgerald was bad, this was ten times worse. Somewhere between the high pulsar of the laser and the crack of the impact, I could hear the crowd going crazy. The announcer was going on about how great an attack it was, probably pumping the audience about how close I was to the end.

He was right. I stood up, and I managed a weak laugh when I saw that steam was rolling off me. I had to admit, it was a nice touch. My arm shook, but I brought my duel disk to bear. My LP counter confirmed what everybody already knew: **1000**.

"I think I've made my point, Miss O'Leary. It's your turn, and I suggest you use it to surrender if you want to save yourself further humiliation."

I didn't reply. My hand was on my next card, turning it over between my fingers. I tried not to grin, but there wasn't much of a point in looking defeated.

"Shinichi," I said, pausing dramatically. "I told you that Frozen Fitzgerald is the strongest card in my deck, didn't I?"

Shinichi didn't answer right away. He looked at me, searching my face. I guess he was trying to figure out if I was bluffing or not. "You did."

"Well, about that." I pulled one of the cards from my hand, pressing a button on the bottom of the Duel Disk to slide out the field spell slot. "I lied. Since you've been so nice about introducing me to your best card, I think I'll show you all of mine." I placed a card in the slot and slammed it shut, and there was a high whine as the holography arrays fired up.

The arena shimmered, the ground beneath us turning into a rolling, hilly field of brown grass. Squat huts with round doors and wooden antennae popped up all around us, and twisting trees with dark brown fruits completed the issue. "I play the field spell card – Ojama Country!"

Shinichi didn't exactly look shaken. Intrigued, but not shaken. Still, I'd gotten a reaction out of him.

"We don't have a lot of time, Shinichi, so I'll try to get introductions out of the way. Using Ojama Country's effect, I can discard one Ojama card from my hand to summon an Ojama monster from the graveyard." Just like that, Ojama Blue was back on the field, flexing and posing for a giggling crowd. "I think you two have already met each other." Three cards poked out of my deck, and I took them into my hand. "The card I discarded was Ojamagic, which adds three more Ojama monsters to my hand when it's sent to the graveyard."

I hadn't mentioned it yet, but Shinichi had definitely noticed – his big robot was looking quite a bit smaller. A quick glance at the holodisplay, and it looked like something was wrong. Superdimensional Robot Galaxy Destroyer suddenly had 2000 attack and 7000 defense. His eyes were on the judges, but he hadn't said anything yet.

"Oh, did I forget to mention? When there's an Ojama monster on my side of the field, the attack and defense of every monster is switched."

When he heard my explanation, Shinichi looked even more at ease. "What were you hoping to accomplish, Miss O'Leary? Ojama Blue doesn't have enough attack, and my Galaxy Destroyer is still more than capable of wiping you out by crushing it."

I gave him the biggest shit-eating grin of my life. "Maybe alone, but who says she has to be alone? I summon Ojama Red, in attack mode!" The pointy-toothed terror that was Ojama Red appeared on the field, snarling and biting. Just when I was getting ready to explain what he did, the fucker spoke.

"Get on out heah, boys! We got woik ta do!" Ojama Red sounded just like I thought he would, somewhere between a Brooklyn street-tough and some kind of little imp. The doors to the huts flew open, and out popped the rest of the team.

"Ojamaaaaaaaa Trio!" Three voices in unison. It couldn't have been more perfect.

Not a step out of the door, my speedo-clad saviors jumped into the air, somersaulted more times than I could count, and landed with a pose in their monster zones. I was stunned, even though I probably should've been telling Shinichi what just happened. While Ojamas Green and Black were staring down Shinichi's death machine, Ojama Yellow had turned around and saluted me.

"Ojama Trio, reporting for duty!" Yellow's voice was a little too high and a little too loud, just like I'd always imagined.

I did my best to roll with it. "Shinichi, meet my friends, the Ojamas. Ojamas, this is the Duel Monsters World Champion, Shinichi Kanzaki."

All five Ojamas waved, each with their own funny-sounding "Hi Shinichi!"

Shinichi was just as stunned as I'd been. Maybe it was my confidence, maybe it was just how weird they all looked. I didn't care, I was just happy that I'd shut him up for once. The crowd was in the palm of my hand, laughing and egging me on.

"Shinichi here thinks we're just punks," I shook my head. "Now, that's no way to talk about my friends, so I thought I'd bring you all out here and show him what a couple punks can do. What do you say, guys? You up for it?"

"You betcha!" Ojama Blue piped up. Her voice was warbly, the kind of tone you take on when you're mocking someone else. The other Ojamas nodded in agreement.

"First thing's first – I need you guys to get rid of Shinichi's tin can. Black, Green, Yellow..." I took a card from my hand, sliding it into a bottom slot. "It's time."

Ojamas Yellow and Black hurried into the position, kneeling down on either side of Ojama Green. The air in front of them began to glow, taking the vague shape of a triangle.

Yellow's arms snapped out in Black's direction, one horizontal to the side and one bent at an angle to match the corner of the triangle. "Ojama..."

Black followed suit, facing Yellow. "Delta..."

Green threw himself into the air, long tongue trailing down behind him. Both of his arms went down to form the top of the triangle, which had become blindingly bright. A second, smaller triangle separated from the center of the first, followed by an intense beam of hot pink energy.

"Hurricane!" All three voices at once. I pumped my fist.

I watched as the beam got wider and wider, big enough to consume the shrunken Galaxy destroyer and roll over the rest of the field. It was payback in the best way, watching Shinichi's ace and every solution he might've had hidden under those set cards go up in smoke.

The crowd couldn't have been louder. Shinichi's field was clear, and he looked furious. His eyes were searching his hand for a solution, and even now I'm sure he had one. I wasn't going to give him the chance.

"Well played, Miss O'Leary..."

"I'm not done."

"What?!"

"What was it you said earlier? Something about not underestimating me?"

Throughout the tournament, I'd never gotten the chance to use all five Ojamas. I'd been saving this for the champion, something to be remembered by even if it didn't work out. I never thought Shinichi had been watching me so closely, and by then he must've figured he had all my strategies. Lucky me, wanting a grand finale.

"I've got one more spell card I need to use – The Big March of Animals!" All five of my Ojamas began to glow, joining hands in solidarity. "The Big March of Animals gives my monsters two hundred attack for each monster on my side of the field, giving my Ojamas two thousand attack each! That's more than enough in total to wipe you out, Shinichi."

Shinichi stared at me, and all I had to do was point at him.

"End it."

I am _so_ fucking cool.


	4. I'll Find a Way

Claudia knew she had stayed up too late when she heard the door opening. In walked her older sister, as evidenced by the drunken stumble and heavy _clump-clump_ of her boots. Claudia turned her head, sightless eyes settling on the source of the noise, and attempted a smile. She didn't greet her sister, remaining quiet as she heard her struggling with the bolt on the apartment door. There were a few muttered expletives, a few harsh thuds that could only have been kicking, and finally a breath of relief as the door _click_ed back into place. It didn't take eyes to tell that Kimberly was three sheets to the wind and none too graceful for it.

"It worked!" Kim declared, the force and volume of her voice offsetting the drunken slur of it. "It fuckin' worked, Claudie. You, kid, you're a genius. I ever tell you that?" Kim clomped forward, dropping onto their ratty old couch and giving Claudia an uncomfortably tight hug.

Claudia endured, draping her arms over her older sister with a murmur of gratitude. She was pleased, and had been ruminating on the victory since hearing it on the television. Unbelievable, the commentators had called it. A complete come-from-behind win. Already, she knew, people were calling it luck, some even supposing Kim had somehow cheated by adding extra cards mid-game. Claudia knew better, if only because Kimberly's victory had been almost entirely her doing.

As Kimberly already knew, finding information on Shinichi Kanzaki and his duels in last year's tournament was no simple task. Legal red-tape prevented almost any public showing of it, but the internet rarely adhered to such things. Dedicated digging in the right places had revealed, if nothing else, that Shinichi was a very well-prepared duelist. He was known, by most accounts, to very carefully watch his opponent's duels both in the tournament and in previous matches. By the time they dueled Shinichi, he had every facet of their deck fully figured out. The power of his cards made it even simpler, but Claudia hadn't worried herself about that.

Shinichi's greatest weapon had been preparedness, and disarming him had been simple enough. Kimberly's status as a last-minute entry made her distant from the other competitors, but Claudia had given her an all new deck just to be safe. The two had reviewed it the night before Kimberly was to set off and join the tournament, and Claudia had instructed her to hold off on using the very play she had pulled against Shinichi. Kimberly's deck had been perfect for the task, packed with weak monsters that made every larger play look like a grand surprise, and the former World Champion had fallen for it.

"You smell like vodka, Kim," Claudia giggled, giving her older sister a reciprocal squeeze. "Why don't you go clean up?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Kim protested, releasing Cludia and dropping back against the couch. "Y'know why I'm fine?" Claudia had opened her mouth to guess, but Kim continued right along. "We're _rich!_ We're fuckin' drowning in prize-money, babe."

Claudia couldn't help but smile. "What are you going to do with it?"

"First thing's first: I'm moving us out of this shithole and getting us a place on the beach. You still like the beach, don'tcha?"

"Sounds... great, Kim." Claudia admitted to herself that the prospect of moving out was an appealing one. Their tiny little apartment, easy though it was for her to navigate, left plenty to be desired when it came to warmth, smell, and the roach population. She feared that a drunken Kimberly might have reached beyond their means, and quietly resolved to oversee any real-estate purchases however she could.

"Hey, y'know what?" Kim began, after an uncomfortable stretch of silence. "Why don't I get you into one of those big dueling academies?"

"What?" Claudia hadn't even considered the possibility. In light of the given circumstances, she hardly felt it necessary.

"You know, get your certs, get some skills, maybe get a free duel disk..." Claudia could smell Kim's cigarette, surprised she hadn't heard the lighter being struck. "You're good, Claudie, but your big sis is the world champ. You should step it up, don'tcha think?"

"Kim, without me-" Claudia's protests died in her throat, and Kim seemed hardly willing to let her continue.

"Please. You're smart, but you're not a duelist. You need practical experience, and you're not gonna get it here."

"You learned it all from street duels, Kim! What makes me so special?"

"What makes you so _special_, Claudie, is that you knew how to win the world championship. You deserve better than getting in fights with shitkickers, sis, and you deserve people who can teach you how to duel like you are."

Claudia's expression hardened. "Kim, I'm not a charity case. I don't need their help."

"I don't think you do, but think about how much easier it's going to make everything. We have all this money now, and you don't _have_ to go through what I went through." Kim's tone was dreamier and more imploring than Claudia had ever heard before. "You can get a real education with professionals, you don't have to cut your teeth on kids who think they're hot shit."

Claudia sighed. Kim had a point, and school wouldn't be all that hard. Her concern wasn't for herself, not for the money or even for how much help an academy truly would be. In the end, Claudia feared for Kim, and for what might happen if she wasn't around to look after her. Kim was eight years her elder, impulsive now as she'd ever been. Claudia didn't want her selling the apartment for a bag of magic beans, or something.

Kim continued, taking a deep breath in and out. "Look, Claudie, you know this game. I want to see you play it. In fact, I want to duel you for the title one day." Kim had leaned forward, giving Claudia a firm pat on the shoulder.

"You think you'll be able to defend it that long without me, Kim?"

"If it means I get to see how far my little sister goes? I'll find a way."

Claudia slumped against the couch. "Alright," she conceded. "Fine, I'll go to your stupid academy. But only because I'll get to kick you up and down the stadium in a few years." She smiled in spite of herself, tilting her head for her older sister to see.

"Love you too, Claudie."


	5. More Than a Game

"Well, Zheng, that's my offer. I'll spare you the figures and numbers – if you're going to do this, it's not going to be for the money. So, what do you say?"

Zheng had to admire her old friend's professional courtesy. Earthshaking revelations of the sort Ivana had just made apparent were best received shortly before noon over a comfortably warm cup of coffee, ideally seated on a high balcony with a view of the late-morning skyline. It was no coincidence that Zheng found herself in exactly such a place. She decided to forestall her answer behind a long drink of coffee, taking the precious few moments she had to properly consider Ivana's proposition.

Looking at Ivana, she realized just how little her friend seemed to have aged in their thirty years apart. Standing before her now, Ivana was every bit the easygoing, heavyset woman from Barbados who had broken out of the pan-Caribbean championship and into the international leagues without breaking a sweat. The woman with whom Zheng, every bit as rife with ambition in those days, had sought to unlock the secrets of the game of Duel Monsters.

"You want to reopen Eclipse Academy," Zheng stated. "Not only do you want to reopen Eclipse Academy, but you want me to teach there."

"That's the long and short of it," Ivana agreed.

"Even after I told you, more than once, that I was retired," Zheng continued.

"Absolutely," Ivana once again affirmed.

"And you are not seeing the problem with this."

"I made you watch the World Championship for a reason." Ivana gave Zheng a look, frowning vividly. "Did you even watch the title match, Zheng? Did you see the passion that girl dueled with? Isn't that even a _little_ inspiring?"

"It was impressive, Ivana, but that girl is World Champion now. I do not think she needs our help."

"You don't have to be so damned literal," Ivana huffed, "Don't sit here and tell me you've forgotten what it was like to be in her shoes. It had to have crossed your mind when you saw her up there, didn't it?"

"Ivana, that was a long time ago." Zheng was doing all she could to keep her tone measured. She wasn't sure just what it was that Ivana's words had stirred in her – anger, frustration, sadness. It was some unbridled, unfocused surge of feeling that she fought with every mote of will to keep down. "If I cared even the slightest bit about those days, I would not have retired."

"You cared enough to bring your deck." Ivana's words were met with silence. Zheng looked as though she'd just been struck.

"How..." Zheng whispered, eyes wide, "How did you know?"

Ivana pointed to Zheng's chest. "Left breast pocket. You haven't changed as much as you think you have." Zheng didn't respond, eyes downcast in guilt, or maybe thought. Ivana got an idea. "Maybe watching someone else duel didn't do it for you, but I think I know what will."

Zheng looked up. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying we're going to settle this like in the old days. If I win, you help me open Eclipse Academy. If you win, you can go back home and forget any of this ever happened." Ivana had already reached into her pocket for her deck, turning it over in her hand. "It's been twenty years since we last dueled. Let them see the light of day again, just one last time."

Zheng was silent for a long time. Ivana watched her, scanning her face and the strain on her features. "Ivana, listen to what you are saying. You want to risk releasing them, all because of this Academy. Can it really mean that much to you that you want to-"

"You're overthinking it." Ivana promptly cut her off. "We only have two. Either way, I mean business. If this is what it takes to get you on board, I'll do it." Ivana motioned toward the balcony door. "I've got spare disks inside. Come on, we'll head to the roof."

The two departed the balcony, first to find Ivana's spare duel disks and then to make their way up the cramped stairwell to the roof. Even Ivana's spare duel disks, of which she had a whole wardrobe's worth, were top-of-the-line models. Zheng recognized them instantly – they were reproductions of the disks used in the last tournament they'd participated in, right down to the etched-in disclaimer that decks may be monitored during tournament duels. They couldn't have been cheap to reproduce in such a quantity, and Zheng wondered how much of this morning had been planned in advance.

"You do not need to do this, Ivana." Zheng had fished her deck out from her pocket, giving it a cursory Hindu shuffle before sliding it into the duel disk. Even now, she carried the weight of a duel disk with surprising ease, perhaps even confidence. She admitted some pride in herself upon realizing this, though she would not allow Ivana to think this was going to be enjoyable. Unguarded emotion had never been Zheng's style, preferring as she did the air of professional confidence that seemed so iconic of duelists in years past. What Zheng had not told Ivana was how much of herself she saw in the former champion Shinichi, more so than the lanky redhead who had toppled him.

"I do, Zheng. More than you know." Ivana took her place on the far side of the roof. A low wall surrounded them, enough to ensure a careless step wouldn't send them over the edge, but they were otherwise quite exposed to the city and anyone who happened to have an eye on the skyline. Zheng had a feeling that they'd become all the more visible soon enough. "The first move is yours, old friend."

Zheng nodded, snapping her duel disk into active mode. Her life-point counter blinked on: **8000**. The duel disk whirred as five cards were deposited into her hand, and she drew them up to her face. Her expression did not change. "Alright, then." She spread her entire hand out, plucking one card after another from it into the bottom slots of her duel disk. After a moment, her whole hand was out on the field as a line of hovering set cards. "I set these five cards facedown, and end my turn."

Ivana chuckled. "Bad hand, Zheng? Don't worry, it happens to the best of us. I draw!" She dramatically pulled a card from the top of her deck, looking it over with a grin. "Now, I'll summon Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus, in attack mode!" There was a harsh whinny, and a white winged horse galloped onto the field, the horn on its head upraised in preparation to strike. Two large sapphires were set into its spread wings, glimmering in the mid-morning light. "When Sapphire Pegasus is summoned to the field, I can place a Crystal Beast monster on the field as a continuous spell card." There was a low hum, and a massive red garnet appeared behind Sapphire Pegasus, hovering upright and revolving slowly in the air. "Let's do thi-"

"Not so fast!" Zheng's field had begun to glow as three of her set cards rose up. "I'll activate these trap cards – Tiki Curse, Tiki Soul, and Embodiment of Apophis!" From out of the cards emerged a hulking, armored snake-like creature flanked by two floating stone idols. "When these cards are activated, they summon themselves to the field as monster cards. Where you summoned one monster this turn, I now have three. How is that for a bad hand, Ivana?"

Ivana took a moment to assess them. One of the idols was in defense mode, while the serpent and the other idol stood in attack mode. Both idols were strong enough to match her monster, but the strange serpent was two hundred attack points weaker than her Pegasus. "Looks like we've both found some interesting new cards, Zheng. Let's see how they match up. Sapphire Pegasus, attack her Embodiment of Apophis – Sapphire Horn!" Sapphire Pegasus streaked forward with another loud whinny, spearing the wiggling reptile on its horn before the monster could react. Rather than shattering, it retracted into the back-row of Zheng's half of the field, becoming a set card again.

"Looks like you should have been more careful," Zheng gave her best effort not to smile. "When a trap card that is also a monster is destroyed, the special ability of Tiki Soul allows it to set itself rather than going to the graveyard. And that is not all..." Before it could return to Ivana's side of the field, Sapphire Pegasus jerked into the air. A shadowy miasma began to creep over it, much to Ivana's horror. It writhed, whinnied and kicked helplessly at the air, but soon it was no more. "The special ability of Tiki Curse destroys any monster that does battle with one of my trap-monsters!"

"Not bad," Ivana muttered. A massive sapphire appeared beside the garnet, adding to the chorus of low hums. "But my monster won't be going anywhere, either. When a Crystal Beast monster is destroyed, it becomes a continuous spell card instead of going to the graveyard." She glanced over her hand one more time. "Before I end my turn, I'll activate this spell card – Gravekeeper's Servant." The card rose up as Tian's traps had before, hovering in its space. "Now, each time you want to declare an attack, you'll have to send the top card of your deck to the graveyard. I set one last card facedown, and that's all."

"I draw." Zheng had every reason for her cool and confident appearance, now – the duel had only just begun, and already she had a heavy advantage. "First, I will return Embodiment of Apophis to the field!" As before, Apophis' card rose up, and the serpentine monster slithered out from within. "A card from my deck is a small price to pay. Let us test that set card of yours, mm? Go, Embodiment of Apophis! Attack Ivana's lifepoints directly!" A card slid into her graveyard, and Zheng seemed oddly pleased as it did. The serpent-creature bounded forward, swinging its sabre across the wincing Ivana. "Tiki Curse, you next!" Moments later, a bolt of twisting darkness spat forth from the mouth of one of the floating idols, catching Ivana across the face. She dropped to her knees, stunned by the holographic assault. Zheng allowed herself a tiny smile. "And that will end my turn."

Ivana stood a moment later, brushing the dust from her pants. She looked up at the trio of trap-monsters, and Zheng could tell she was rattled. Her lifepoint counter read **4600**. "For a retired duelist, you sure haven't lost your touch."

"Spare me, Ivana. You have a turn to play."

"I mean it, Zheng." Ivana struggled to her feet. "You can tell yourself you've lost interest, but you're dueling with all you've got." She reached for the top of her deck, taking up the card protruding from it. That familiar old grin crossed her face again. "But so am I! Because I have three continuous spell cards on the field, I can summon Dragon Queen of Tragic Endings, in attack mode!" A hideous, almost decayed husk of a dragon crawled forth onto the field, making gut-wrenching gurgling sounds as it surveyed the monsters there. Zheng could see that it was marginally stronger than anything she had on the field, but she hardly seemed worried.

"You know what will happen if you attack anything, Ivana. Still trying for brute force?"

"Not quite, Zheng. I have a hunch I want to test." Ivana dramatically pointed forward. "Dragon Queen, attack her Tiki Curse! Tragedy Stream!" The Dragon Queen exhaled, sending a plume of dust at the hovering idol. At once, the stone from which it was made took on a sandy cast, and the light died in its menacing eyes. The idol dropped out of the air, shattering on the ground and retracting back into a set card. Ivana seemed tense for a moment, staring imploringly at her new monster, but it remained resolute, unmoving. Zheng's lifepoints dropped to **7900**.

Ivana straightened, smirking at Zheng. "Just as I thought, Tiki Curse's effect doesn't apply to itself. And that's not all – whenever you take battle damage from my Dragon Queen, you discard a card, and I get to draw one. That will end my turn." Zheng casually discarded something from her hand, and Ivana was more than happy to take an extra card.

"You always were a fast thinker, Ivana," Zheng drew her next card, looking it over. "But you have not changed a thing. First, I will return Tiki Curse to the field!" Just as before, Tiki Curse's card arose, and the scowling idol emerged from within. "Normally, none of my monsters would be strong enough to slay your dragon, but you know by now that they do not need to be. Embodiment of Apophis, strike down Ivana's Dragon Queen!" The Embodiment slithered forward, sword upraised, only to be caught around the middle by the Dragon Queen and cast aside like a ragdoll. Zheng's lifepoints dropped to **7600**, but already the Dragon Queen was convulsing in agony. Like Ivana's Crystal Pegasus, the Dragon Queen was lost to the shifting miasma, another victim of Tiki Curse.

Ivana braced herself, stepping back with one foot as she saw Tiki Curse's mouth begin to glow. Zheng hardly seemed to care about all the cards she was casting into the grave, and Ivana was beginning to think it was part of some grander strategy. The shot from the Tiki struck her square in the chest, dropping her life points down once more. A red **2800** glared back at her from the top of her Duel Disk. "There's real passion in that deck, Zheng..."

"I told you to save it!" Zheng snapped, dropping her composure in an instant. "This... academy nonsense is not going to draw me out of retirement, even if I have to play one last game to prove it. My turn is over, Ivana. Hurry up, so we can end this."

"So you're going to let all these skills go to waste?" Ivana frowned, drawing her next card. "The game needs people like you, people who can go thirty years without touching a card and still duel like a pro. Think about what would happen to the leagues if you taught the next generation of duelists, Zheng. Imagine every match being just as passionate as this one, just as tense! I want to make Duel Monsters better, Zheng, and I can't do it without you."

"You have such a convenient memory," Zheng spat, "Have you really forgotten the things we saw, or were you hoping that I had? Duel Monsters is not just a game, Ivana. It is not decided by these tournaments, it is not shaped by Shinichi Kanzaki or Kimberly O'Leary or whoever else thinks they can call themselves Champion. You know that, even now, and you choose to ignore it. This is a dark path you are walking down, and I will not join you there if I do not have to."

Ivana gazed contemplatively at the card in her hand, and then up at her old friend. "Zheng..." She turned the card over between her fingers, as if deciding on something. "I'm sorry for what I'm about to do. You're right, this is more than a game, but I think you're the one that's forgotten what that really means. It's time to remind you." A shadow fell over the roof as Ivana held the card between her fingers aloft, a distant rumble of thunder filling her pause. Her upright card, along with both floating gems, shattered with a crash. "By destroying these three spell cards in offering, I summon my mightiest monster to the field. May the world tremble at your coming, may the skies by consumed by storm and the earth flooded with pounding rain! Heed my call – Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder!"

A bolt of lightning streaked down from above, striking the roof and displacing a fair chunk of the concrete. An earsplitting roar came with the next rumble of thunder, and Zheng looked up just in time to see a massive figure descending from the clouds above. Mere minutes ago, it had been a bright and sunny morning with little more than a few white streaks in the sky. Now she could only see the ominous dark-grey of stormclouds for miles around, and the chorus of honking horns far below them told her that she wasn't the only one to be caught offguard. It landed before Zheng – a winged, skeletal thing easily ten times her size, golden in color. It looked almost draconic, with dramatic golden crests arcing up from its head and wrists.

"Hamon," Zheng whispered, "It has been a long, long time. I know who you have come for." Rain had begun pouring all around them, soaking through Zheng's shirt and making her feel thoroughly uncomfortable. Staring down a beast of the end-times, however, Zheng had few thoughts to spare for her own comfort.

"I hope you remember the card I drew on my last turn, Zheng, because it's going to clear the way! I activate Mystical Space Typhoon!" A whirlpool of mystical energy rose up from the ground and consumed Zheng's Tiki Soul.

The abruptness of it, and the loss of a key part of her strategy, brought Zheng back to reality. "What? How did you use that on a monster card?"

"Not quite a monster card, Zheng. Your stone idols are still trap cards, with all the same vulnerabilities. With Tiki Soul out of the picture, your Tiki Curse is defenseless." Ivana paused to smooth back her hair, the pounding rain every bit as uncomfortable for her. "Hamon, destroy her Tiki Curse! Cerulean Skyfire!" Hamon's mouth opened to admit a ball of spiralling blue flame, which it spat forth at Zheng's hovering idol.

"No!" Zheng cried, reaching out as if she could somehow save it. It was too late, the bolt of fire struck Tiki Soul, consuming it in a vivid spiral of flame. Beneath the thundering of the storm and the blast, there was a low whine as a card was activated. When the dust settled, Tiki Soul was still hovering, seemingly unscathed. Zheng, however, looked worse for the wear. The lifepoint indicator on her Duel Disk displayed **5400**.

Ivana was infuriated. "How could it possibly survive?!"


	6. Who's Who

The tension around the table was not subtle. It was worn openly by the faces of those gathered there, myself included. Accusatory glances were cast about freely, unspoken condemnations of our fellows. The incident, it could not have been earlier than a week prior, had shaken us all. We had all hoped it would not happen, and we were anxious to see that it did not happen again. It was only a matter of time before somebody got sick of this wordless game of pressure, and that somebody just happened to be me. I stood, and spoke.

"Brothers and sisters, let me speak frankly. We have waited in the shadows for decades, weaving our plots and securing our ends. We have endured worse than this, and we will have to endure worse things still. I will not allow petty infighting to destroy us." I looked around, and some of my hooded compatriots looked back at me. There were murmurs of agreement. I spread my arms in a show of solidarity, I always liked how my dark sleeves hung so low from my wrists, and continued, "We are united in purpose, bonded by the unseen powers that link all duelists. If one of us must be sacrificed for the failure of us all, I will take it upon myself to bear this burden."

Questioning looks were cast my way. Urai spoke, "Interregnus, you know what will happen when the Master hears of this."

I steeled my expression. It would do no good for them to see me waver, though I could not deny the twinge of fear in the pit of my gut. "Be that as it may, I will do it. For the good of the order, and for all of you. When the Master arrives to hear our report, I will confess to eating half of the cake that was to be used for Prometheon's surprise party – happy birthday by the way, Prometheon." Prometheon, twice my bulk and baldest among us, grinned in thanks.

The tension in the room was lifted, replaced by relief and sympathy alike. I had done my duty, and I hoped they would do theirs. I sat down, and used my time on the floor to get my bretheren on task. "Now, onto the matter of the World Championship. Our man on the inside, Shinichi Kanzaki, has lost his first match in defense of the title..."

"Moreover," Apocrethus spoke up, "He refuses to speak to us. He will not answer our calls, he is not at his home or at any nearby hotels, and he refuses to read even a single e-mail. For all we know, the Master has already gotten to him."

I shook my head. Apocrethus was a worrier, and his habit of needless conjecture could lead our number down the thorny path of doubt again all too quickly. "If the Master had gotten to him, we would know by now. Kanzaki's pride likely got the better of him. He's hiding in shame, which means he's useless to us for the time being. We should turn our attention to the new Champion, and see if we might sway her to our side instead. Octia, what do we know about her?"

Octia's wide eyes met mine. I didn't like it when Octia's attention was upon me; she always had this shrewd, knowing expression on her face, as if every secret I had was somehow already hers. It dwelled equally in her voice, which held an eerie honeyed confidence that lilted in ways that made me quite uncomfortable, "Frankly, she's nobody. Her parents aren't duelists at all, and nobody in her immediate family is noteworthy in the slightest. She's twenty-two, born in the slums of Heisho city. Up until the Championship she was a street duelist – she got in on a technicality."

"She's in it for the money," I ventured. "We can give her money."

"She likes her alcohol," Octia continued. "We'll send out feelers for her. In the meantime, there's also her younger sister. I managed to track down some of their household's web activity in the past week, and it's all had to do with duel academies. Kimberly is twenty-two and the World Champion, I don't need to tell you she doesn't need schooling. Little Claudia, on the other hand..."

I smiled, but stopped when I saw Octia smiling with me. "Do we know where she's going?"

"Not yet, but we might." Octia's voice took on a strangely excited cadence, then. "Do you remember the Eclipse Duel Academy?" There was a swell of murmuring from the group as that name filled the air, and I spread my arms again for silence. A little breeze from somewhere behind me made my sleeves flap about, which I thought looked pretty impressive. Octia continued, "Ivana Descoteaux, the school's last administrator, has been drumming up support to reopen it. The potential staff list reads like a who's who of old thorns in our side, Interregnus: Jack Connors, the Nervetti twins, Solomon Lex, Minerva Ashcroft, Zheng Tian..."

"Should we be concerned?" I spoke as dismissively as I dared. I did not relish being the order's brave face, but someone had to.

"The thing is, they're all big names in Duel Monsters academia. The one thing these people all have in common is that they don't know who we are. They've stopped us before, some of them without meaning to, but none of them know enough to go after us. Names like Bai Li and Ray Tuvedo, people we really need to be worried about, haven't been contacted." Octia paused and, for some strange reason, seemed to look away from me for a fraction of a second. "I don't know if I'd exactly call it a coincidence. It's too early to say what she's planning, if she's even the one planning anything. We can't be sure that someone else isn't pulling Ivana's strings."

"I trust you'll look into it." Octia had never faced me with such bald uncertainties before. It wasn't easy to tell, but I entertained the notion that it rattled her even more.

"Night and day, Interregnus."

"See that you do. Now, onto the next order of business." There are no leaders in the order, save for the Master. So often it fell to me, or Visceretta when she was in the right mood, to direct our brethren when things became difficult. The newer members looked up to me, the senior members respected me. I sat in the center, bridging the gap, as I suppose I was meant to do. "As per usual, Senior Sister Necrette's book club will be meeting this Saturday at two P.M. Inscriptor Maluska reminds you all to return your texts to the archive, and the fifty percent discount on all overdue fines will be in effect until the coming Monday..."


	7. Outplayed

Zheng gave Ivana a grin, which was rather unlike her. "Remember what you told me, how my monsters are still trap cards? I activated this – Imperial Custom." Sure enough, there was an upright card on the far left of Zheng's field. "Imperial Custom prevents face-up continuous trap cards from being destroyed, and that includes my Tiki Curse."

Ivana, much to Zheng's surprise, began to laugh. "What a move! Even when you're staring down the end, you still find a way to pull something off. You're a top-notch duelist, Zheng. I just wish you weren't so delusional."

"Can you go a single turn without preaching, Ivana?"

"You're awfully impudent for someone staring defeat in the face."

"Let us not forget who has the lead, here."

"Somehow, I'm not convinced. You've managed to hold out for another turn, Zheng. You might as well take it."

Zheng drew, eyes on her hand. "First, I will change Tiki Curse to defense mode." The lights went out in Tiki Curse's eyes, and it drifted slowly to the floor. "Then, I will set one monster in facedown defense position and end my turn."

Ivana grinned. "Are you hoping to stall me, Zheng? If so, you shouldn't have set that monster." She drew, looking up at Hamon. "Or... do you have it? I guess there's only one way to find out, isn't there? Hamon, destroy her facedown monster!" Hamon roared, and another bolt of blue fire streaked across the field, incinerating the card. Flames licked at Tian, causing her to stumble back and cringe. "Oh, did I forget Hamon's special ability? Whenever it destroys a monster by battle, you take 1000 damage to your life points!"

Zheng was unfazed, her hand on her duel disk, which now displayed **4400**. "I will manage. The monster you destroyed was Mask of Darkness, which lets me add a trap card from my graveyard to my hand."

"There's not a single monster of the bunch that can topple Hamon, Zheng. It's only a matter of time until I draw another Mystical Space Typhoon, anyway."

"We will see. I draw." Zheng was quiet for a moment, mulling over the card she'd picked up. She plucked another from her hand. "And I will set one more monster in face-down defense position. It is your turn, Ivana."

The grim process of immolating Zheng's facedown monster went the same as before – another Mask of Darkness, which meant another card for Zheng and another thousand life points of damage, leaving her at **3400**. Zheng did not allow herself to seem shaken by it, glaring defiantly at Ivana as she waited for her next turn to begin.

"That gap between our life points is closing pretty quickly, Zheng. You're lucky it's raining, because I'd just _love_ to see how much you're sweating right now." What might once have been friendly banter from Ivana seemed nothing short of frightening, when backed up with a beast like Hamon. When Zheng looked across the roof, she didn't see her old friend. She saw a monster with the power to end the world, waiting for the mortal at its feet to give it lease to annihilate her.

She could not allow that. "I... suppose this is it. I draw," There was a weight to her voice that one might be tempted to call solemnity. The next turn could very well decide the fate of the duel, and of Ivana's academy. For a moment, she was silent. She took in the pounding rain, the rolling thunder, the deep and snarling breaths of Hamon far above her. The stage was set, and any peace she would have in this life depended on her making the play Ivana so eagerly sought for her to make. "Now, I will return Embodiment of Apophis to the field." Once more, the battered snake-creature slithered onto the field, turning its eyeless face toward Hamon and snarling in defiance. She only wished she could be so courageous.

"You're a few turns late, Zheng. If you attack with your Embodiment of Apophis now, you might destroy Hamon, but you'll lose the duel. Unless this is your way of conceding..."

"Not quite. I am going to tribute these three trap cards." Ivana's expression changed at once, but Zheng did not see fear in her eyes. She wondered, as she had before the duel began, how long Ivana had been waiting for this moment. Was a loss, and the loss of Zheng's support for this academy, truly worth seeing this monstrosity again? Imperial Custom, Tiki Curse, and the Embodiment of Apophis were consumed by twisting columns of fire. "Embodiment of destruction, heed my call. May all living creatures quake at your arrival. May the firmament be bathed in fire, and may the skies glow red with the pyres of the countless dead. Uria, Lord of Searing Flames, come to my aid!" Zheng held the card aloft, and brought it down into the Duel Disk with more force than she had planned.

There was a new sound, above the thunder and Hamon's growling. A long, bellowing roar which came from somewhere high above, just as Hamon's had. Zheng could not look up without getting rain in her eyes, but she could feel it. It was a sensation not unlike suddenly opening an oven; a rush of heavy, heated air that had a strange sort of weight to it. Before her, just as the chant had portended, the deep grey clouds and taken on a distinctly red cast. By the time Uria alighted on the field, she could hear the roar of flames in her ears. Hamon's vaguely draconic appearance was overshadowed by that of its counterpart; Uria had a twisting and serpentine appearance, its back lined with spikes and its head covered in some strange ornamentation. Two vestigial wings sat near the fore of its body, ending in grasping claws. Its mouth seemed divided into two separate segments, inner and outer, each with its own set of teeth, and they moved independently of one another in a profoundly unsettling fashion. Where Hamon seemed withered and skeletal, Uria was as vibrant and as animated as the flames over which it apparently presided.

There was something odd, Zheng soon realized, about the way it sat on the field. It seemed to extend upward from somewhere, as though she wasn't seeing the whole of its body. Her eyes, though they stung to look upon it, traveled along its serpentine body as best they could. She turned her head to and fro, trying not to look at it directly, and gleaned enough to see that it was draped over the side of the roof. Zheng wondered if its tail was dangling there, or if it had gone so far as to wrap its immensity around the building. Steam rolled off of it, rain evaporating whenever it got even in proximity to Uria.

What stuck out to Ivana, however, was the strength of its attack. This was not the first time she had seen Uria, but it was unquestionably the first time it had 10,000 attack points. "Zheng!" she called, "What have you done?"

"It was not what I did, Ivana. In fact, I have you to thank. Uria gains one thousand attack for every continuous trap card in the graveyard, and your Gravekeeper's Servant made sure I had a steady supply of them." Zheng straightened. She wanted this over quickly – the more time she spent around Uria, the more the heat made her sick and the steam stung her eyes. "Uria, it's time to end this duel. Destroy Hamon with Hyper Blaze!" Uria surged forward, its strangely-segmented mouth parting in an earsplitting screech. Flames grew from between its teeth, trailing yellow-orange behind it..

Uria never made it. Zheng could only watch in shock as chains arced forth from all sides, wrapping around Uria and yanking hard to pull the beast back. It screeched again, struggling against its new and sudden bindings, but its struggles subsided quickly. It slunk its way back to Zheng's side of the field, the chains arresting any movement beyond that. So enraptured was she by the ominous glow that radiated from Uria's prison, she almost did not hear Ivana speak.

"You've been so fond of continuous traps, Zheng, I thought I'd use one of my own – Fiendish Chain!" Zheng was too struck to reply, her eyes locked on the bound Uria. "It not only binds your monster, but saps it of all its power. Without it, Uria doesn't have any attack points, which means one attack from Hamon will wipe both of you out. That attack would have decided the duel one way or another, Zheng, but you were careless. It's time for this to end."

Ivana was right, and Zheng knew it. Uria's attack had dropped to 0 the moment the chains had gotten around it, and Ivana could destroy them both at her leisure next turn. She looked down at her hand for a while, considering each card there. She supposed she could drag the duel out a while longer, but there would be no chance of victory with Uria destroyed. Zheng only had one option left; she closed her hand up and placed it on top of her deck.

"I concede, Ivana. You have outplayed me."

The world went silent. The heat and rain faded instantly from her, and her eyes stung as the clouds dissipated, leaving the noonday sun hanging high above her head. Were everything around her not soaked and slightly scorched, it would have been as if nothing had ever happened. Hamon and the tragic, lashed figure of Uria were gone. It was only Zheng and Ivana, now, both of whom looked decidedly out of breath.

Ivana walked forward after a moment, clapping her friend hard on the shoulder. "You played well. Better than you ever have, I'd say. I'm proud to have you on my staff."

Zheng didn't look quite as pleased as Ivana did. "I gave you my word," she sighed. "I will help you for as long as I can."

"Good. Get home and get some rest, I'll call you when the Academy is ready."

The two murmured their goodbyes, and Ivana insisted that Zheng keep the replica duel disk. She did, wearing it on her arm as she left to find a cab home. Her deck remained in it, her final turn's hand sitting on top of it in concession. It was good, Zheng supposed, that Ivana had let her keep her deck tucked away. After all, Zheng didn't want her finding out about the Mystical Space Typhoon that had been in her hand.


	8. Vodka Martini

Eliphas was having no small amount of trouble keeping himself composed. He despised people, although not for their individual faults and follies or even for the stumblings of the human race as a whole. He despised the mass of them, the immensity and difficulty of a crowd. The swanky Vegas-style accoutrements held no joy for him, for wherever he looked there was another knot of human presence obstructing his view and his movement. For a restaurant that was supposedly the most exclusive in the city, he bitterly mused, there seemed to be quite a lot of people packed inside.

It was his sister who had dragged him here, as she was so wont to drag him to whatever new hellish social gathering she discovered. Whether it was a seminar by some know-nothing duelist who just happened to write a book, a local tournament scarcely worth their time, or a promotional event portending the release of new cards, his sister was on the scene. If there had ever been any gravitas or solemnity to the sport of Duel Monsters, it had been lost under a mountain of crass commercialism. A game of strategy and nuance could now be practiced by anyone with a duel disk and some free time, and where KaibaCorp executives rejoiced at the notion of Duel Monsters as a global sensation, it left Eliphas quite cold.

He would admit, to himself if nobody else, that the staff of Top Deck made a passable vodka martini and their bartenders were as skilled as they were snappy about mixing drinks. Eliphas found that everything was somewhat less insufferable with a little liquor, and even the constant murmur of so many voices became a pleasant white noise once his initial distaste had been softened by the vodka. The bartender was a burly fellow who did not seem much for conversation, a trait which Eliphas admired above all else, though the duel disk on his arm drew Eliphas' eye more so than a holstered pistol might have.

When the bartender brought his next drink, Eliphas held up a hand to stop him. Curiosity had gotten the better of him, and he had wanted to inquire about the inner workings of the restaurant for quite some time. "Do you do shifts as a doorman?" Eliphas asked, motioning to the heavy device on the bartender's arm. Top Deck's policy was not duelists-only, but the high prices it commanded for food and service gave it that much-lauded exclusivity. Doormen offered guests the chance to duel, and winning duelists enjoyed an impressive mark-down on prices and the chance to challenge and duel other guests in the arena.

"No," the bartender grunted. "Losers with a tab can pay it off in a duel."

Eliphas' interest was further piqued. "That doesn't seem in your best interests."

"I've got a better deck than the doormen," the bartender explained, "Most of them couldn't beat me with my own cards anyway. Doormen are entry-level, barmen have to earn their spot. So, most of them don't win, but everyone wants to try. Besides," the bartender took on a conspiratorial grin, "After a few drinks, everyone thinks they can duel off their tab, even if they got crushed by the doormen. It keeps people coming in, so we make more than we'll ever lose."

Whenever Eliphas smiled, it was a thin and joyless-looking thing. He never liked to seem as though he was enjoying himself too much, lest those around him become too comfortable with his presence. Nevertheless, he did smile, and gave the bartender an appreciative nod for his time. "Clever," he remarked. "Do you know who runs this place?"

The bartender gave him an apologetic look and shook his head. "Can't say I do. None of the serving staff do, as far as I know."

"Who writes your checks, then?"

"The dealer, Maldonado. He's the only one who gets to talk to the boss." The bartender abruptly turned to take another patron's order, leaving Eliphas to consider this. This Maldonado seemed like an interesting character, one Eliphas thought he might like to meet, given the opportunity. He filed this information away for another, soberer time and returned to his drink.

He didn't get halfway through it before a more familiar voice reached his ears; "Eliphas!" He was being summoned. This did not bode well. "Eliphas, get over here! I've got someone for you to meet."

He stood, surprised at how easily it had come to him in light of the steady stream of liquor he'd been having, and turned to face the voice. There stood his sister, towering over him as she always did, and a smaller, leaner woman beside her. He recognized the latter immediately, the darkly-ringed eyes and cherry-red hair distinct enough to mark her as the newest Duel Monsters World Champion.

"Kim," his sister began, speaking to the redhead as though they'd been friends for years, "This is my brother, Eliphas. Eliphas, this is Kimberly. I don't think I have to tell you how she ended up here."

Kimberly raised a hand in greeting, accompanied by a casual "'Sup?"

Eliphas forced another smile. "Ah, Kimberly O'Leary. You've been all over the news, haven't you? Every analyst with an opinion thinks they know why you won." He paused to look her over, disguising it behind a sip of his drink. She was just as she'd been described, completely out of place in the professional dueling circuit. Scruffy and irreverent, not to mention frustratingly casual. It had been said that she paid more attention to her obscure band t-shirts than her deck, but Eliphas dismissed such baseless criticism. However, it was no wonder to Eliphas why so many people were confused how she had become champion, narrow-minded as they were. "Nobody wants to come outright and say you've cheated, but plenty of them think so."

Kimberly didn't seem fazed. "What do you think?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I have my own theories," Eliphas replied, "But none of them involve foul play. You beat the most competent player in the world and ended his reign before it even began, and nobody wants to deal with it. Shinichi Kanzaki had a very good PR team."

Bella, perhaps frustrated by Eliphas' usual obtuseness, stepped in to change the subject. "Have you heard about the new dueling academy opening up, Eliphas? Kim was just telling me about it."

"Eclipse Academy," Kim added, "A little before my time, but I heard it was pretty big in its heyday."

Eliphas went quiet, robbed of his promptness in questions of general knowledge. The name was familiar, but only vaguely so. "Yes," he lied, "I've heard talk of it."

"Is it any good?" Kim challenged.

Eliphas was suddenly grateful for the size of his martini, and hid his hesitation behind another long sip. "It's a dueling academy," he answered, with newfound confidence. "The bad ones don't get officiated, and the unofficial ones don't get students. If it gets through the assessment tests, it'll be at least as good as any other." Vague, but it made him sound in the know. In the end, that was all that mattered. "Are you planning on taking up teaching, Kimberly?"

Kim chuckled. "No, I want my sister to carry on the family tradition."

"Is being world champion a family tradition, now?" Bella chuckled, earning a little smirk from Kim.

"It will be, once Claudie gets some schooling. Shit, I'll even send my kids, if I have 'em." Kim's boundless confidence irritated Eliphas in a manner he couldn't easily place.

"You know, Eliphas and I tried for the championship, once," Bella began, making her way over to the bar. When she stood beside Eliphas, it became all the clearer how different they were physically. Bella stood head and shoulders over her brother, was broader and stockier in build, and had a more casual bearing about her. Eliphas was short and weedy, with a carefully-maintained bowl cut and a perpetual air of some vague, toothless condescension. Their only obvious similarity lay in fair skin and black hair, which would hardly be enough for most people to tell they were siblings.

"Yeah? I didn't think they had a tag duel division." Kim urged, following along to flag down the bartender. Drinks were ordered and doled out, and Kimberly was halfway through a glass of whiskey by the time Bella began again.

"They didn't. We entered separately," Bella explained. "Eliphas and I don't have any problem dueling each other. In fact, it's how we train. How I train, anyway. Trying to think around Eliphas is at least as good as any dueling academy course." She turned her head to look at Eliphas after she spoke, seeking a reaction to her praise, to find him shaking his head at her.

"I don't always escape her clutches," Eliphas chuckled. "I might have strategy on my side, but there's something to be said for overwhelming force."

"But, we didn't make it to the title match." Bella paused to thank the bartender, beer slid across the bar into her hand. "We got close, though. I got knocked out before the semifinals, and Eliphas got beaten the round after."

"That's rough," Kim remarked. "Who'd you play?"

"Charles von Zeit," Bella answered. "The whole duel was a blur. He used the strangest monsters, that much I remember. He'd have cards bouncing on and off the field faster than I could keep track of. And Eliphas, you played..." She trailed off, looking to her brother.

"Shinichi Kanzaki," Eliphas muttered. Kim seemed more than a little amused.

"You remember the duel, don't you?" Bella asked.

"Well..." Eliphas trailed off, searching his memories.

"Well, well, well." A new voice, unfamiliar to all of them, broke through the murmur of the crowd. A woman's voice, deep and joyful and slightly-accented. "Eliphas and Bella Nervetti having drinks with our own World Champion, here in lovely Top Deck. I hate to interrupt your meeting of the minds, boys and girls, but I've got a proposition for you two."

Eliphas turned around slowly, set somewhat offguard by the confidence of this new arrival. "And just who are you?"

"Ivana Descoteaux, headmistress of Eclipse Academy."


	9. Knock 'Em Dead

It had been a very, very long time since Claudia had been woken up by her older sister instead of the other way around. More than woken up, Kim practically had to pick Claudia up out of bed and shake her to get her lucid, and even then wakefulness didn't come without grumbling. Today was the day dreaded by so many her age: the first day of school. One would think that going to a school dedicated to playing a game would soften the blow a bit, but not so for Claudia.

Kimberly had opted to drive her to the entrance exams, blasting the same decades-old rock album she always kept in the CD player. There was an optimism in the music, a sense of triumph that seemed to be mocking Claudia and her demotion from backstage winner of the World Championship to dueling student.

"This is _such_ bullshit." Claudia knew it was weeks too late to protest, but that didn't stop her from trying.

"Claudie, you're sixteen. What are you going to do until you're old enough to enter the championships, sit around in my house? That's my job." Kim hadn't even considered turning down the soulful strains of 'Nite Mamas' blaring through the speakers, and so had to shout a bit when they reached the chorus.

"I won the World Cham-"

"_I_ won the World Championship, Claudia." They'd had this conversation multiple times before, but Claudia rarely heard real irritation in her older sister's voice. She supposed Kim was tiring of the argument. "You got into the players' heads, Claudie, but you need to get into the _cards_. How many times do I have to tell you the difference?"

"Why can't you teach me?" Claudia wasn't sure she even liked the idea, but she wasn't about to let Kim have the last word.

"Because I'm not a teacher, Claudie," Kim thudded her palms on the steering wheel, gritting her teeth. Claudia took a vicious sort of delight in how she'd gotten to her older sibling. "Could you _please_ stop fighting me on this? For once in my life, I can do something nice for you and you push back at every turn." The car lurched as they took a sharp right, Claudia instinctively grabbed the handle of the door for support. Claudia didn't have a clue what Kim's car was, but it had most of its weight in the rear and turned like the trunk was full of cement.

"We're here." Before Claudia could protest, the doors were open and Kim was guiding her toward a murmuring crowd. The sounds of chattering, yelling and laughing swelled as a set of doors opened. "Big line. I wonder if..." Before Claudia could stop her, Kim had stood up on her toes. Claudia could feel her body sway as she waved her arms in the air. "Hey, hey! What's up, guys?"

You didn't need eyes to feel the crowd turn their gaze on Claudia and Kim. Greetings came up from the crowd, coupled with inquiries and cheers of support and the occasional cry of 'cheater!' Claudia had never been more mortified, if only because a portion of the crowd seemed to think that she was Kim's daughter.

"Kim," she sharply whispered, "Shut-"

"This is my little sister Claudia. She's gonna be joining all you at the academy," She paused to let a chorus of 'ooh's subside in the crowd. "_If_ she passes her entrance exam. What do you guys say, ready to see the next world champion?" Whether there was real confidence in the crowd, or if Kim simply knew how to work them, Claudia didn't know. Whatever the case, the cheering was very real, and did nothing to help her mood.

The crowd had parted, she knew, because Kim was leading her forward at a surprisingly fast pace. Had this been a ploy to cut the line? She supposed she didn't expect much less, knowing Kim as well as she did. She elbowed her sister lightly, but said nothing.

"You're welcome," Kim whispered, the smile in her voice painfully obvious.

"Name?" The man whom Claudia assumed to be some kind of registration manager was completely humorless, and Claudia wanted to think he was thoroughly unamused by Kim's antics.

"My name?" Kim asked.

"Is the World Champion going back to school?" Claudia liked this guy already.

"Claudia O'Leary. This one." Kim patted Claudia on the back. "She gets a duel disk, right?"

"That's correct."

Kim shifted her weight a little, half-leaning against Claudia. "She's blind. I was told you guys have stuff for that."

"She'll be given a standard-issue dueling bead." The manager didn't even hesitate.

"Wait, wait, a _what_? That doesn't sound like-" Kim was, fortuitously, cut off.

"It goes in the ear and feeds information from the duel disk to the wearer. They can also be used to keep track of objects around the wearer, as long as they keep their duel disk on."

"Shit, hear that, Claudie?" Kim enthused. Claudia smiled in spite of herself, sharing some of Kim's delight at the news. Accessibility for blind duelists was far from a new invention, but it had become sleeker and simpler to use in recent years. She didn't know much about Eclipse Academy, but knowing they had such a high standard of technology set her somewhat at ease.

"Please watch your language, Miss O'Leary."

"Yeah, sure. So, you can hook her up now? I'm double-parked."

"She's in good hands, Miss O'Leary. Have a good day." The manager seemed to want her gone as much as Claudia did. She made a note to find out who he was and thank him later.

Claudia received two firm pats on the shoulders from her older sister, followed by a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Knock 'em dead, kid."

"Thanks, Kim." With that, her older sister was gone, leaving her standing before the manager. Her hands came forward, finding the desk and putting a bit of weight on it to get her bearings. "Sorry about her."

"No need to apologize. Wait here a minute and I'll have your disk and bead." The manager muttered something to someone behind him.

The feeling of a duel disk was new to her, a sudden and stiff weight on her arm which made every step a conscious effort. It hardly registered in her mind, however, as the duel bead had immediately taken effect. A toneless artificial voice buzzed in her ear.

"_Kaiba Corporation thanks you for choosing the Model 7 Duel Bead system, the next step in dueling accessibility. Please try to remain still while the duel bead calibrates."_

What followed was a series of uncomfortable shocks, a skull-rattling buzz stemming from deep inside her ear, and then...

Awareness. Subtle prods and buzzes traveled through her skin as she turned her head, and her mind seemed to know just how to respond. She knew that there was a glass wall ten feet to her left that curved around what she assumed to be the testing grounds. She knew that the manager in front of her stood a shade under six and a half feet, and had very narrow shoulders. She was distantly aware of the undulations of the crowd behind her, in particular a person about her height bouncing from foot to foot with a sharp _tap-tap!_ as they waited for their turn.

"Wow," Claudia gave an appreciative nod. It sure beat the hell out of using a cane, though she'd made certain to pack one anyway.

"Down the stairs behind me is the waiting room. You'll be called up when it's time for your exam."

"Thanks." Claudia gave the man a smile, then stepped around him to find her way to the stairs. It struck her how natural the awareness was, how the knowledge of the stairs and their shape and location seemed to bloom in her mind as though she'd always known it. She scurried down them with confidence, becoming aware of a collection of huddled bodies below her. Waiting students, she could tell by their chatter.

She was fortunate, as nobody in the room had heard her sister's display. With a little groping and some muttered apologies, she found her seat on one of the benches lining the walls. The waiting room wasn't very large, though Claudia supposed there might have been more than one, and there was an unmistakable tension in the air that was amplified by the cramped space. A boy across from her was bragging about how many duels he won the previous week, much to the giggling amusement of those around him.

The wait was long, with names being called at an agonizingly slow pace. New students occasionally filtered in to replace those who had gone up, and each clatter of footsteps down the stairs gave rise to a new surge of fear. What if one of them had seen her sister upstairs and told everyone? The last thing she wanted was attention, knowing the mockery that would inevitably come with it. Whether due to good fortune or some restraint on the part of the new arrivals, Claudia wasn't outed.

Without warning, someone sat beside her. Her breath caught in her throat as she became aware of the girl wiggling her way between herself a lanky boy who had heretofore been the one nearest to her. Her mind raced with possibilities – there were surely free seats elsewhere, why sit beside her? Did she recognize her? Was she going to tell everyone? Claudia's thoughts were abuzz with fears when the unthinkable happened.

The new girl's head turned towards her, and she spoke, "Hi!"

Claudia's breath caught in her throat. She was quiet for a long stretch of seconds, slowly turning her head toward the new girl. What she had hoped would be a casual-sounding reply instead came out as "Uh- yeah, hey. Hi, I mean..." She wisely cut herself off before she could stutter any further, now more mortified than truly afraid.

The new girl kept her voice low and her tone conversational, "You're Claudia, right? The World Champion's sister?"

"I, uh..." She supposed there was no sense in denying it. She'd been caught, and there was a certain subtlety in this girl's tone. "Yeah. That's me." She awaited the inevitable; the girl's voice would raise, laughter and jeering would follow. She'd be stuck in her sister's shadow for the rest of the semester, mocked by teachers and peers alike. Claudia was so busy wishing she could simply disappear off the face of the earth that she hardly even heard the new girl's reply.

"Cool!" There was no shouting. Her voice was still a half-whisper. "What's she like?"

"Huh?" Claudia was shaken from her miserable thoughts, realizing in due course that there had yet been no laughing and no mockery.

"Sorry, I'm, like, a huuuuuge fan." She paused, shifting in her seat a little, "My name's Lisa. Lisa von Zeit."

"Should I know that name?" Claudia had never known her peers to introduce themselves by their full names. She certainly didn't, and thus presumed there was some prestige attached to Lisa's. The name was also vaguely familiar, though Claudia couldn't quite place it.

"My dad's Charles von Zeit, your sister dueled him in the tournament." Lisa giggled nervously. "I thought I was the only one coming out of that kind of background, you know?"

Claudia went silent once more. She had plenty of time to fear the worst and hope for the best, but this caught her entirely offguard. Lisa, it seemed, had the same sort of albatross around her neck that she did. Claudia was intrigued, but Lisa was already pressing her earlier question; "So, what's Kimberly like?"

Claudia had spent her entire life with Kimberly, and had never once been asked to describe her. The woman who so many now knew as the World Champion had existed as sort of a constant, both in Claudia's life and her psyche. She had provided, at different times, someone to worry about and someone to seek comfort in. She had been Claudia's protector and guide, as most older siblings are, though these things were offset by her less-than-noble habits. She doubted Lisa cared very much, and Claudia opted for brevity.

"What you see is what you get. She doesn't act all that differently at home." It wasn't a lie, Claudia supposed, though it didn't really touch on the whole of the issue.

"Really? Most pros drop the act as soon as they're off the field," Lisa sounded intrigued, "My dad is _nothing_ like that at home. He doesn't even have the accent! She really does that whole punk thing at home?"

"As far as I know," Claudia shrugged, "I can't exactly tell you what she wears around the house."

"Why not?"

"I'm, uh... blind, Lisa."

"Oh, okay." Claudia had heard a lot of responses to that little revelation. 'You poor thing' was a favorite, 'it must be so hard for you' was another, followed by plenty of inquiries as to why she doesn't just get surgery for it. She'd grown so used to explaining her condition that she'd practically had it scripted, but she didn't have a response to 'oh, okay.' She supposed she didn't need one, there was nothing the shrug-worthy response demanded of her. She could live with 'oh, okay.'

"I'm guessing she wears those heavy boots out, though. They're hollow-sounding, platforms probably. If I had to guess, I'd say she dresses the same indoors as out."

"Why Ojamas, though? That's not really punk." Lisa was an endless fount of questions, and Claudia found she minded them less and less. They were a better way to pass the time than cringing at every new arrival, at least.

"No idea. She just likes them." Claudia avoided explaining how she had helped Kim construct and improve the deck. That could come later, and she still wasn't sure who was listening. Once more, she hadn't lied. Kim liked Ojamas, simple as that. Claudia had never asked the why and wherefore of it and Kim had never been inclined to explain. The set had its practical uses, and had become quite vicious with Claudia's assistance.

The conversation proceeded in this way for minutes more, Claudia explaining everything from Kim's dietary habits to her favorite music. All of it was just as her persona in the dueling arena would suggest, or so Lisa said.

Eventually, her name came up. She stood with some reluctance, stumbling from the weight of her duel disk, and muttered a farewell to her new friend.

"See you at the academy!" Lisa was simply brimming with confidence, and Claudia wasn't sure whether to chalk it up to arrogance or optimism. She hardly seemed like the arrogant type, but her fixation on Claudia's familial ties was concerning.

She dismissed the matter of Lisa from her thoughts and trudged forward, her duel bead buzzing as the short corridor opened up into a wide dueling arena walled-off into smaller, constituent segments, likely so that multiple students could have their entrance exams at once. She was directed around toward one of the corner segments, where a heavyset, deep-voiced man awaited her.

"Miss O'Leary, this will be your entrance exam. There are no additional rules outside of the standard Duel Monsters provisions. To pass the test, all you have to do is win." Like the manager upstairs, this man seemed every bit as humorless as he was professional. There was a severity to everything he said, likely hoping to get things moving quickly. The lines upstairs were large, she knew, and her waiting-room had been nothing short of packed.

"Got it," Claudia stated, setting her duel disk into active mode. The artificial voice from before buzzed in her ear.

"_Duel disk activated. Stand by for opening turn. Your life points are currently at __**8000**__."_

"The first move is mine," declared the examiner, "I set one monster in face-down defense position and end my turn." These little arenas had no high-tech holography arrays, but the inbuilt projection systems of each duel disk were more than sufficient. Claudia could hear the sound of a card appearing on the field.

"_Depositing opening hand now. Your cards are as follows:_"

Claudia's duel bead read off a promising list of cards, and Claudia's fingers danced across each as if to confirm their positions. She had been preparing for this moment; if she was to submit herself to academy life, she had every intention of dominating it. "I'll summon Aria the Melodious Diva, in attack mode!" A high soprano rose up over the dueling field, eclipsing the distant shouts and bangs of other duels nearby. Wordless vocalizations reached her ears and, for the first time that day, Claudia smiled. She couldn't see her cards, nor the monsters her duel disk made appear, but she could hear them, and that was beauty enough for her.

"Interesting," the examiner muttered.

"Now, Aria, attack his facedown monster with Vocal Vivisection!" At Claudia's command, Aria's voice rose several octaves, a high sustained note that shattered the examiner's facedown card like glass.

"Wrong move!" The examiner shouted over Aria, "My facedown monster was Howling Insect, and when it's destroyed I get to summon another insect-type monster from my deck. I'll summon this one – Ultimate Insect, Level Three!"

Something truly hideous emerged on the field. Wet, fleshy sounds intermixed with low buzzing and the distinct clattering of mandibles. Its presence alone was enough to make Claudia shudder, but her duel bead helpfully informed her of the monster's statistics. Its attack was pathetic, nothing Aria couldn't easily take down. Claudia did not allow herself to be fooled, however, certain there was more to this move. She drew another card from her hand and set it in a slot. "Fine, then. I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

"I draw!" The examiner was already chuckling. "And now, my Ultimate Insect's special ability activates! At the start of my turn, my insect will undergo a metamorphosis into an even stronger form!"

Claudia didn't need to be told. She could hear it, the flesh warping and twisting as chitin cracked and fell away. There came a series of clanking thuds as a set of massive, chitinous legs found their bearing on the duel arena floor. Mandibles clacked and some immense, snarling thing hissed in the direction of her and her Diva.

"Behold, my Ultimate Insect Level Five! And when it's summoned by Level Three's metamorphosis, all of your monsters lose 500 attack points!"

Already, Claudia could hear Aria's voice growing weaker. The sound of her monster's waning strength pained her in a way she didn't quite understand.

"There are many more worthwhile students waiting in line, entrant, so why don't you save me the trouble of giving you a failing grade? Eclipse Academy is only for the best, after all. Now, I'll summon Chainsaw Insect, in attack mode!" The sudden barb from the examiner shook Claudia from her reverie.

Claudia wanted to retort, but she didn't like what she was hearing from her duel bead. The harsh whine of the chainsaw in her other ear was none too pleasant either, but the examiner's newest pest had far more attack than it had any right to. "Hang in there, Aria..."

"Not going to concede? Alright, let's see what you're made of. Ultimate Insect, destroy her Melodious Diva! Steel Sting!"

There was a screech, and Claudia wasn't sure where it came from Aria or her killer. The insect had thudded forward, no doubt impaling her monster. Whatever the case, Aria was silenced, and she was 1200 life points poorer for it.

"Now, Chainsaw Insect, tear her apart!"

The suddenness of it struck her more than the attack. One moment she was anticipating it, the next she had the roar of the monster's eponymous chainsaw in her ears and a painful jolt had ripped through her body. She dropped to her knees, hands pressed against the floor and teeth grinding against one another. The pain had been something Kimberly had warned her about, but no amount of rambling descriptions from her older sister prepared her for the experience. Even without seeing it, the illusory strike had profoundly affected her. The chattering of her duel bead added insult to injury.

"_Current life point count: __**4400**__. Please draw your card."_

"Draw my card?" Claudia repeated. She hadn't heard the examiner end his turn.

"_When Chainsaw Insect attacks or is attacked, you draw a card."_

"Finally," Claudia sighed. "Good news." She took her next card, awaiting her duel bead's assessment. Her expression was unchanged.

"That ends my turn," said the examiner. "I suggest you think of something quickly. On my next turn, my Ultimate Insect will become even stronger! Looks like your back is to the wall, entrant."

Claudia did not reply. Stone-faced, she drew her next card. Sweat trailed in beads from her forehead, down over her temple. Aria's silencing had given way to the whirr of a chainsaw and the slimy clattering of the examiner's Ultimate Insect. This wouldn't do. "I'll summon Serenade the Melodious Diva, in attack mode!" A dainty-sounding mezzo-soprano filled the air, soft and nowhere near as dramatic as Aria had been. The calming tones could not match the volume of the insects, but they made Claudia feel better all the same.

"Do you need a lesson on attacking and defending, entrant?" The examiner's surprise was not ill-founded; Serenade's attack was pathetic, more so even than the first form of his Ultimate Insect had been.

"Oh!" Claudia blushed, seeming flustered. "Alright, let me see..." She leaned in, running her fingers across her cards before sliding another into the bottom slot. "I'll set this card facedown, and end my turn."

The examiner seemed thoroughly unimpressed, drawing his next card with a huff. "It looks like you're not getting into the academy, entrant, so here's a free lesson: if you're going to try such an obvious ploy, don't forget to set your cards!"

Claudia wasn't paying attention. Serenade's voice was now all but inaudible, a new sound having risen over the arena. Buzzing, wavering but constant, like the sound of a fly magnified to obscenity. The Ultimate Insect had gone airborne, and her duel bead was already reading out its newly-magnified attack power. Not only that, but Serenade had gone silent. The Ultimate Insect's ability was clearly still in effect, but Serenade had completely bottomed out.

"Before we end this, I'll activate Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying the card you just set down!" The whirl of magical energy tearing apart her set card came as a mercy, a momentary distraction from the buzzing wings. "Now, Ultimate Ins-"

"Hold it!" The card she had set down on her first turn rose up. Clanking chains flew forth from the card, binding up the buzzing monstrosity and, blessedly, silencing it. Now all she could hear was the rattling of metal links as the overgrown fly fought to escape its bonds. "I activated my trap card, Fiendish Chain! Not only can't your insect attack, but its special ability is negated as well! Sonata's attack power returns to its original 400!" Sure enough, Sonata's voice was returning to her ears, something triumphal in the notes. Confidence, much-needed here and now.

The examiner let out a condescending chortle. "Alright, entrant, you got me. I fell for your little trick." There was a pause, Claudia guessed he was picking something from his hand. "But it's not going to matter. By banishing two insect-type monsters from my graveyard, I can summon my strongest monster! Behold, Doom Dozer!"

Claudia beheld it, to what extent she could. The floor beneath her shook, and some chittering thing of unspeakable immensity reared up before her. It edged out even the Ultimate Insect's final form in terms of its attack power, and the bead made her vaguely aware of its serpentine body and many, many fleshy legs.

"It looks like you're out of tricks, entrant. Let's see how many turns you can last like this." The examiner's Chainsaw Insect was revving up again, charging forward at its master's behest. Sonata stood resolute.


	10. In The Know

The bar scene at one in the afternoon was deader than dead, even at Top Deck. Go figure.

I figured I deserved a drink or two, though. Getting Claudie out of bed and into Eclipse was more hassle than it should've been. I mean, thought I was badass when I was sixteen, too, and I'm pretty sure I was, so I guess I couldn't really blame her. But I knew that once Claudia got the hang of that deck, she'd wreck every last one of those kids. Then she'd come home with full honors and I'd tell her I told her so, and everyone would live happily ever after. In short, I did a good deed. Good deeds should be followed up with good beer, and Top Deck had good beer.

I just happened to be halfway through my third good beer when this girl sat next to me. She was a real piece of work, halfway between a raver and a leather dom. I almost choked on my beer at the spiked collar she had on, that's how much it blindsided me. She had the whole half-shaven look, too, with a bright-green flip on the side she grew out. I was impressed, so I bought her a drink.

"Come here often?" Yeah, because I hadn't heard that one a million times before. I let her slide.

"They better hope I do," I bragged, "I'm free publicity, they're cheap beer. Everyone wins."

"Sounds like you've got it made."

"Sure does, huh?" I was having a hard time placing this girl. She wasn't a fangirl and she didn't seem like she was looking for a quick fuck. Either she was playing the mysterious act really well, or she was an undercover reporter. Either way, I had enough beers in me not to care.

"Word on the street is that your little sister's in school now." Collar-girl gave me a weird little smile, like she knew something I didn't. I'd almost forgotten my whole stunt to cut the line, which is how I guessed she knew. People and their fucking smartphones, these days.

"Who would I be if I didn't give the younger generation someone to worry about?" I sounded like such an old codger. Twenty-four years old and I already wanted to build a legacy through my kid sister. Claudia _would_ have to pick up the slack for me one day, though, making her competent was an investment in the future.

"You're not worried at all?" I looked at collar-girl when she said that. She took on a tone that I didn't like, that kind of asshole confidence that made my skin crawl. Just like before, she gave off the impression she knew something I didn't.

"Worried about what?" I gave her a major stinkeye. If looks could kill, and all that shit.

"Sending her off on an island, all on her own?" Collar-girl put her cheek in her hand and put her elbow on the bar, turning around to look at me like it was some cutesy routine. I was more than ready to fuck her up. "Eclipse Academy wasn't reopened out of nowhere, even you should know that. There are things going on behind the scenes, and they might cause problems for little Claudia."

"I'm sorry, is that a threat?" She didn't answer. I stood up, "Let me rephrase, do you want to leave this club alive?"

"Simmer down, champ. I'm not gonna do anything to your baby sister, okay? I'm just saying, if you want to be in the know about what kind of things might be happening at this academy, you might want to listen to people like me."

"Alright, I'm listening. You've got three seconds to tell me why I shouldn't bust your head open on this bar." Now, who the fuck comes up to a girl minding her own business and starts talking all this mafioso shit? Somebody who doesn't value their safety that much, that's for sure. Right then, I was still too buzzed to give a shit what this girl was after, I just knew that there were certain people in this world you didn't fuck with, and she'd just fucked with both of them at once.

"You're a lot of bluster for a world champion, Kimmy." Collar-girl was grinning at me. I wanted to punch every last tooth out of her head. "Go on, hit me. See where it gets you."

Anybody else would've backed off. Club security, a taser, maybe a knife. Nobody says 'come on, hit me' unless they're in control, but I won the championship by showing assholes like her what control really is. I swung, hit her jaw and it shattered like glass.

No, really, it shattered. Pieces of pink skin scattered all over the bar and the floor. The teeth of her lower jaw bounced off my legs and rolled like dice away from me. Porcelain white flesh crawled up and down collar-girl's head, taking her eyes and nose and replacing it with a big clump of downy, white hair that draped low across her back. Ruby-red lips peeled back, giving me that same 'fuck you' grin. Her arms got long and thin, her nails growing out and ending in nasty points.

"What... what the fuck are you?"

"Shouuuuld've liiiiistened." Her voice was human where nothing else was, mocking me. Her arms came up. I couldn't run, couldn't scream, couldn't do shit except watch her get ready to claw my face off.

I sat up. It was dark, I was panting like I'd just run a mile. My tank-top was stuck to me; sweat, I knew. I groped for the nightstand, fumbled with the switch. My eyes stung when the light came on. Shitty bedroom, shitty apartment, home sweet-fucking-home.

Bullshit I'd been dreaming, right? It was three in the afternoon, the bed next to mine was empty. Claudia wasn't there, she wasn't there 'cause I dropped her off, then I went to Top Deck to have a drink. That's how it happened, how I knew it was supposed to have happened. I didn't want to think about it. I figured I'd just blacked out, somehow got home and dreamed the whole thing. I didn't know right then, I didn't care because I had to piss something fierce.

I stumbled into the bathroom, bleary-eyed and sore-headed. I splashed some water onto my face, shook off the hangover as best as anyone could, and looked up. There was a sticky-note on the mirror, placed so that it'd sit right in front of my good eye.

**LISTEN**


	11. What If

"_Card effect activated. Standby for resolution..."_

Another figure had risen up out of the ground, wings spread and arms out. The examiner cried out in surprise, bringing an arm up – to shield his eyes, Claudia assumed. Chainsaw Insect's charge was halted as soon as it came near to the angelic figure, shattering into fragments and finally ceasing the horrible roar of its serrated tusks. Serenade sang louder than ever before, harmonizing with her angelic protector as the examiner's life points fell to **7600**.

"My trap wasn't on the field to begin with," Claudia explained, her smile broadening. "When your monster attacked, I was able to send Honest from my hand to the graveyard to add your monster's attack points to my own for the rest of the turn. With Honest's help, Serenade is every bit as strong as your Doom Dozer." Claudia reached for her deck. "And I get another free card, courtesy of your Chainsaw Insect!"

Claudia could hear a card being set facedown. "You've earned yourself another turn, entrant," stated the examiner. "But I don't see you toppling Doom Dozer any time soon!"

"I draw!" Honest faded from Serenade's side as Claudia's turn began, returning her attack points to normal. Claudia pulled two cards from her hand, holding them dramatically aloft before placing them on her duel disk. Serenade was joined by two similar-sounding sopranos, and as their voices swelled their attack points climbed higher. "If I control a Melodious monster, I can special summon Sonata the Melodious Diva from my hand, so I summoned two! Each one boosts all my monsters' attack points by 500 each."

The examiner seemed ready to chide her inexperience again, and Claudia wasn't about to let him.

"I'm not done!" Claudia pulled the next card from her hand. "Next, I'll activate this spell card – Transmodify! I can send one of my Divas to the graveyard to summon another, one level higher, from my deck. I choose Elegy the Melodious diva!" A deep, moody contralto took the place of Serenade, the impromptu chorus taking an ominious cast as the newcomer adopted a rumbling minor key. "Not only does Elegy boost my monsters' attack by an additional 300 points, but she protects them from being destroyed. And that's not all, take a look at her attack." Sure enough, the examiner needed only a moment to confirm Elegy's overwhelming power. "3300 attack points," Claudia paused dramatically, to let the number sink in, "More than enough to crush your giant worm!"

The examiner only hummed, and from behind his massive insect Claudia could vaguely detect the motion of him nodding. The movement of Doom Dozer's many legs seemed to be throwing off the duel bead somewhat, and both the examiner and his worm seemed to meld into each other when Claudia didn't focus.

"Elegy the Melodious Diva, sing that Doom Dozer a funeral dirge!" Elegy's voice rose higher still above the two Sonatas, and she could hear the examiner's insect make pained, screeching cries as it writhed in pain. Its legs whirled about as the low tones of Elegy's song ripped through it, sending it crumbling into the earth from which it had crawled. The Examiner's life points now displayed **7100**.

The Examiner was chuckling, now. "Looks like you were a little hasty, entrant. Even though it can't attack, neither one of your backup singers is strong enough to destroy my Ultimate Insect!"

He was right, and Claudia knew it. Ultimate Insect Level 7 edged out her twin Sonata's attack points, barely enough to keep the examiner in the game. The lead was still his and her hand was empty, but now Claudia had the field advantage.

"My turn!" The examiner drew. "And now I'll activate a spell card – Solidarity! As long as there's only one type of monsters in my graveyard, all monsters of that same type gain 800 attack points!" Ultimate Insect's attack climbed higher still, bulging out and straining its chains in the process. Now it not only cleanly outmatched her Sonatas, but her Elegy as well. "And that's all. You'd better hope I don't draw into another Doom Dozer, entrant."

Claudia wasn't about to give him the chance. She couldn't, not with this duel hanging in the balance. The loss of advantage now would spell the end for her, especially if he somehow managed to free his Ultimate Insect. She placed her hand on the protruding card, hesitant. What if she lost? What if she had to explain to her older sister that she'd failed her first real duel?

Fear gripped her. She couldn't face up to this next card, and all the dreadful possibilities held on its face. She faintly heard her duel bead urging her to begin her turn, but the sound was distant and quickly drowned in other thoughts. She tried to remember Lisa's confidence, forced herself to recall the strange, cocky girl's tone – 'See you at the academy!' she'd said. Claudia was becoming less and less sure she'd even make it there, and she wondered what Lisa would think to learn that the world champion's little sister couldn't finish one duel without falling to pieces.

A sound finally reached her, but it wasn't the voice of her duel bead. It was her monsters, still singing amongst themselves. Where she had had faltered, the song of her Divas had not. They stood straight, facing the examiner and the struggling fly which kept them from his life points, as if they knew how superficial a defense it was. Loud and strong as their harmonies were, Claudia was amazed it had taken her so long to become aware of them.

If they could face it, so could she. "Together," she murmured. "Just like a chorus."

"Are you done talking to yourself, entrant?" The examiner was getting impatient, and Claudia didn't want to think about how long she'd been standing there.

She drew, waiting on her duel bead. Afterward came a long sigh of relief. "Alright, here goes nothing. I activate a spell card – Soul Charge!" Two figures rose out of the remaining monster zones on Claudia's field, turning her harmonious trio into a powerful quintet. Aria and Serenade, she would recognize their voices anywhere. Her life points dropped to **2400**. "I can summon any number of monsters out of my graveyard, as long as I pay 1000 life points for each. But they won't be staying long. I'll construct the overlay network with Aria and Serenade..."

"What?!"

Just as quickly as they had appeared, her two new monsters vanished. She could hear a low, bass hum as something emerged in the air above her. "With these two monsters, I'll Xyz summon Starliege Paladynamo!" Blade aloft and heavy armor clanking, the massive knight seemed to spring forth from somewhere within the humming sound, landing with a dramatic slam of its boots. It stood tall, and Claudia heard the servos of its armor whirring as it raised its sword-arm straight out, perhaps pointing it at the examiner or his monster.

Though its entrance was impressive, its attack power wasn't. Even the normally weak Sonatas eclipsed it, thanks to their boosted power, but Claudia hadn't summoned it for its offensive strength. "By detaching an overlay unit from Paladynamo, I can reduce your Ultimate Insect's attack points to zero." There was a twinkling sound and a rattle of chains, followed by a deep groan. She shuffled to one side to give her duel-bead a better point of reference, and was just able to catch the hulking figure of the Ultimate Insect slumping over onto the ground.

"Now, Starliege Paladynamo, destroy his insect with Photon Division!" Her knightly savior sprung forward, twirling in the air and bringing its blade down upon slumped insect. It split in two without so much as a sound, hanging in the air for a moment before it shattered into fragments.

**5100**.

"Elegy, attack him directly!" Elegy's low contralto rose up again, sending a shockwave through the floor that nearly made Claudia lose her footing. The examiner had nearly fallen as well, stumbling all the more from the holographic impact.

**1800**.

"Sonata, finish him off!" One of the Sonata's voices joined Elegy's, meeting in a crescendo underscored by the sound of a blast. Her head turned toward them, watching the two – their hands were joined and their bodies faced one another, rising up into the air and gently revolving. Another unguarded smile made its way across her face. Here was the perfect conclusion to a grand drama, as good as any opera she'd ever heard and better still for her input. The two monsters sang in celebration, and Claudia swore she could hear a distant orchestra accompanying them..

"_Duel complete. Congratulations, user; victory is yours." _The toneless voice of her duel bead stood in stark contrast to the sonorous beauty that had entranced her.

"Good work, entrant. I have no more life points – you've passed."

"I... I did?" She turned to face the examiner. "I mean, of course I did. That wasn't too hard." She gathered up her cards, sliding them into the duel disk as it went inactive. Her first proper victory, and she finally harbored some confidence in the notion that it might be the first of many. Even the memory of her Divas' songs gave her hope for duels to come, and as the examiner ushered her out of her segment of the arena she wondered how Lisa was doing.

The hours after were a blur. She was vaguely aware of being presented some important-sounding forms, and at one point had to sign an agreement concerning the ship she was apparently about to board, but her thoughts were elsewhere. She ran the duel over in her mind again and again, considering her hand and how it could have been better used.

The ship was heavy and metal and smelled like burning oil and dead fish. The topmost deck was windy but mostly deserted, perhaps because the smell was worse where the wind picked up, but Claudia needed somewhere to think. Every tactical vector, every combo missed and play unplayed threatened to drive her beyond reason. She needed to affirm to herself that she would do better next time, with hindsight as her guide.

"...But then," she murmured to herself, barely audible over the wind, "If I'd drawn into Mozarta with Serenade still on the field, I wouldn't have had to risk him not having any answer. But what if I hadn't gotten transmodify? What if I'd gotten Hecatrice? What if-"

"You made it!" A familiar voice, a little too loud and a little too cheery and a little too close for Claudia not to have noticed her earlier. Could she really have been so distracted?

"Oh, Lisa! Good to see you passed," Claudia wasn't too fond of admitting it, but Lisa was a welcome distraction from obsessing over tactics.

"Sure did! The examiner gave up three turns in."

Claudia was quiet for a moment, turning her head toward Lisa at last. "_Three?_ Three turns in?" She repeated, "How?"

"I had strong monsters on the field, I guess!" Lisa shrugged. "Doesn't every deck win that way?"

Claudia would have corrected her, and at any other time might have happily launched into an explanation of alternate win conditions, but she found herself rather offguard by Lisa's claim of such a swift victory. "What kind of powerhouse cards do you even have? That's... that's _nuts_!" Claudia implored.

"Well, they're..." Lisa went quiet for a moment, "Well, they're normal monsters. Almost all the cards in my deck are, in fact."

"You're joking." Claudia, who had exactly one real duel under her belt, still thought it utter foolishness to exclusively run such depthless cards. The fault may have been in her presumptuousness, or in Lisa's descriptive ineptitude, but Claudia was quite in the dark either way.

"Nope! They're really strong, though."

"You'll have to show me sometime," Claudia turned, leaning against the railing, "Do you know what dorm you're assigned yet? I overheard a few people talking about it."

"No idea," Lisa shrugged again, "I don't even know how they grade the entrance exams."

The wind let up for a moment, and Claudia's head tilted. A sound, like a distant rumble with an unusual grating quality to it. The ship's engine? No, it was too close for that. She leaned over toward where she last heard the sound, forgetting about Lisa until she piped up again.

"I hope we ge-"

"Shh!"

"...What?" Lisa had begun whispering, but sounded quite confused.

"Hear that?" The sound came just as Claudia had finished speaking. Louder, now. It wasn't metallic, ruling out some extraneous object scraping against the ship, but the low and prolonged sound hardly seemed natural over the whipping winds.

"I hear it," Lisa affirmed, keeping her voice low. "What is that?"

"I don't-" Claudia immediately silenced herself as she heard it again. It was accompanied by an unmistakable gargle of spittle, then a cough. The low sound resumed a moment later. Claudia finally thought to move along the rails to the far side of the entrance belowdecks. There, her duel bead registered a figure slumped against the wall, snoring. She was amazed she hadn't heard them earlier. "Oh, that figures."

"Huh?" Lisa crept over, leaning against the entranceway. "Oh! Hey, are you okay?"

The figure shifted, rolled over, made two or three (Claudia couldn't really be sure) attempts to sit upright, and finally spoke. "Are we there yet?" Another girl, Claudia guessed. Her voice was dozy, lower than Lisa's and certainly much less peppy. She yawned, and Claudia's duel disk buzzed as it recalibrated. The constant movement of the ship must have been throwing it off, though Claudia didn't know exactly how the wondrous little sphere worked.

"We're a half hour out," Claudia said, "If I remember right, it'll be another hour and a half before we reach the academy."

The erstwhile sleeper stood. She was head and shoulders above herself and Lisa, putting her in the ballpark of six feet. "Why'd you wake me up then?" she asked, stretching her arms up to yawn yet again.

"We wanted to make sure you were okay!" Lisa chimed.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Most people don't choose to sleep on the upper deck." Lisa turned her head toward Claudia for a moment, though she didn't know why.

"Well, maybe I'm not most people." The girl retorted. She sighed in resignation, turning toward the front of the ship and leaning forward to look out. "As long as I'm up, I might as well meet my classmates, yeah? I'm Elise."

"Claudia." Claudia noted, with some relief, that Elise hadn't opted to introduce herself by her full name. She followed suit.

"Lisa's the name, it's good to meet you!"

"Those entrance exam guys were pushovers, huh?" Elise laughed, "Everyone says Eclipse is this big, exclusive academy, but you'd have to be _trying_ not to win against these guys."

Claudia chuckled nervously. "Oh, uh... yeah."

Lisa chimed in again, "So, what decks do you guys play?"

"Check these out!" Elise was only too happy to dig around in her pockets and produce a neat deck of cards.

Lisa took them before Claudia could react, excitedly flipping through them through them. "Wow, these are serious! I didn't even know they _had_ monarchs like these."

"Can I have a look?" Lisa passed the deck over to Claudia, who held up a card in the hand by her duel disk. While curious about Elise's deck, she was curious whether or not her duel bead would read any card it was given.

"_Caius the Mega Monarch. Level eight. DARK Fiend-Type, Effect monster. Effects are as follows..."_ Sure enough, her duel bead rattled off the card just as well as if she had drawn it.

Claudia nodded appreciatively. "You weren't kidding," she agreed, handing the deck back to Elise.

"What about you, Claudia?" Lisa leaned uncomfortably close in toward her.

Considering her difficulty with the earlier match, Claudia was understandably reticent to hand over her deck. If it was flawed somehow, she didn't want an obviously skilled player like Lisa thinking less of her. As much as advice might have helped, Claudia could only think of the scorn a poorly-made deck might garner. When she pulled her deck from her duel disk and held it out to Lisa, it was only for fear that refusing would make things even worse.

Lisa looked through the deck with what Claudia could only surmise was interest, the occasional "ooooh" apparent but little else alongside it. She noted, however, that there was none of the enthusiastic crowing over its sheer power like there had been with Elise's deck. "How'd they do?"

"I'm still getting used to them." Claudia silently congratulated herself on her swift thinking.

"We should duel sometime, don't you think? They look like they work well together, but I want to see them in action!"

Claudia replied with a vague, mumbled affirmative. She wasn't looking forward to facing the girl who had won the exam in three turns.

The deck was passed to Elise, who barely seemed to glance at them before handing them back. "Not bad."

Claudia tucked them back into her duel disk. If nothing else, it hadn't been the evisceration she'd been fearing it would be. Kimberly had given her the idea, having mentioned that they'd been used to some significant effect in the Chinese national tournament not too long ago. She'd selected the cards herself, which was part and parcel the reason she had spent a whole half-hour second guessing her every choice. While Lisa and Elise struck up a conversation about the former's choice of hair-dye, Claudia thought about her older sister. She wondered what Kimberly could be getting up to, without Claudia to come home to. It worried her, though not as much as she anticipated.

The Academy was a long ride away. Claudia took the time to enjoy the tranquility, knowing it would soon become a rare and valuable thing.


	12. Old Friends

Shinichi Kanzaki had been easy to track down. For a man they called as the world's smartest duelist, he hadn't hid himself very well. He'd locked himself away from the news media and his entourage in a hotel, but he hadn't even bothered to leave the city. Better yet, it was one of our hotels. Shinichi couldn't have known, but we had had our fingers in the tacky little Gardens Inn chain since its founding. A quick perusal of the guest lists was all we needed – not only had we found him, but our reluctant little rat was cornered.

I went myself, dressed in my best suit. To be frank, I liked Shinichi. He was a good kid, a duelist we could trust to defend the World Champion title if he hadn't been so damned proud of himself. The shame he felt was punishment enough for his failure, and I hadn't come to the hotel to punish him. Skill like his doesn't come along every day. We still had a use for him, whether or not he liked it.

I knocked on his door. The staff hadn't announced me, only given me a room number and promised me a spare key if I ended up needing one. He didn't answer. Between his seclusion and the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on his door handle, there was no reason for anyone to knock.

"Shinichi, it's me. Open up."

I might call Shinichi a friend. We spoke often, before and during his time as champion. He knew my voice, and he knew the name Interregnus. It's the reason I'd come personally, instead of sending someone else out to fetch him. The kid deserved to see a friendly face, even if it wasn't on friendly terms. He didn't respond, so I knocked again, louder this time. I can't truthfully say I was surprised that he was being difficult. He'd taken the loss hard, having to face up to it wasn't going to be simple.

A few seconds passed. Silence. "Shinichi, open the door." I tried the handle out of impulse. Nothing. "You and I need to talk."

"There's nothing to talk about!" There he was. His throat was hoarse, he'd either been crying or drinking and I didn't particularly care which. I had his attention. I brought my briefcase up and thudded one end against the door.

"Yes there is. You're not off the hook yet, Shinichi. We have another job for you."

"I don't care. I'm not coming out." Oh, the hell he wasn't. If I had to knock him out with the briefcase and hogtie him, I would.

"Listen to me, Shinichi; do this, and you're off the hook. We'll comp all your travel costs, and you can keep all the cards we've given you, including these new ones." I bumped the briefcase against the door again.

"I can't be seen- wait, new cards?"

"Hot off the presses. We greased a few palms."

There was another few seconds of silence. "Slide one under the door."

"What?"

"Slide one underneath the door. I want to see them."

"No. Open the door, Shinichi, and you can have them all."

"Just one!" I didn't know what he was trying to pull. Shinichi had some weird hangups, but there was a plotting, flighty streak to him. If I slid a good enough card under the door, he'd be able to convince himself there wasn't any reason to come out. I wasn't in the mood for games, in any case.

"Let me lay something out here, Shinichi. This is our hotel, our people run it. You can't hide in here, because I'll be back in five minutes with the master key and the biggest motherfuckers we have on staff. I'm giving you the choice now to open the door and talk with me before I have to drag you out."

"But I-"

"We can drive out of here in the front seat of my car or in the trunk, Shinichi. Choose."

Shinichi didn't answer at first, but I could hear him muttering to himself through the door. I heard a thud, then a shout, then a click from behind the door. I pushed it open before he had a chance to reconsider.

No surprise, his room was a mess. Empty bottles littered the carpet, between them I could see torn-up cards. The place smelled like vomit and shame, I couldn't imagine how he slept like this. "Look at this," I sighed. "What the hell are you doing to yourself? It was one loss, Shinichi."

"It was my title!" I hadn't looked at Shinichi before just then. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, his body looked too thin for the ratty nightclothes he wore, and there was a nasty gash on his cheek. "I lost my title, I lost my deck-"

"You _destroyed_ your deck," I corrected. "Damn it, Shinichi, you can't do this to us. We had a great thing going, and you're making yourself a liability." I brushed all the papers off of the hotel room's little writing-desk and put my suitcase on top of it. "We can't have that. You need to pull yourself together, and you need to do it fast."

"New cards. You said you had new cards," Shinichi cut in quick. The boy sounded like an addict, but I think he felt bad about tearing up his old ones. There was a part of him that wanted a second chance, I knew, and a part of him too afraid of failure to try.

"New and better." I opened the briefcase, showing him the neatly-packed rows of cards inside. "Take your pick."

His grubby, unwashed hands were all over them, and I resisted the temptation to slam the case down on his knobby little wrists. The way he looked them over, I could tell which side was winning. Like a kid on Christmas morning, this one. These cards had the making of a powerhouse deck, I'd paid out of my own pocket to see them packed up and brought over here.

Shinichi made a noise that might've been a sob, if it weren't so happy. He'd realized just then what I knew when I looked them over; these cards could bring Shinichi's ace monster to the field with ease, along with a whole horde of other juggernauts.

"So, do we have a deal?"


	13. Jameson

Let me clear the air, before we go any further. Most people put in my situation probably would've acted the same way I did, but I don't think that does me justice. You see, my bar for weird shit is a little higher than it is for most people. Having a fucked-up dream, waking up and finding a fucked-up note on my bathroom mirror is pretty weird, sure, but I've woken up after weirder things. Let me put it to you this way: if I could've given Claudia any advice before I sent her off to the academy, I'd have told her you should never do a tab of acid before you duel. It sounds like a great idea until you realize you forgot to turn off the pain-synthesizers on the duel disk.

The point I'm trying to make is that my first reaction was unusual for me, because right after I saw the note I knew I needed help. I spent twenty minutes digging around my room for my phone until I remembered that I'd fallen asleep in my clothes, which is when it hit me that checking my pockets would've been a good start.

If I could've given Claudia any _more_ advice before I sent her off to the academy, I'd have told her to have at least one conspiracy theorist's phone number. When there's something strange in your neighborhood, who're you gonna call? The cops? Nobody's going to believe you if, for example, you get hit up by a guy you swear was a shadow duelist, and if you tell them you saw a duel spirit you're just going to get laughed at. Shadow duelists are an urban legend and duel spirits are something lonely nerds talk about to feel better about their shitty decks. At times like these, you need somebody who's at least going to listen to every word you have to say, and it helps when they kinda believe it.

So, I called up Jameson. Jameson was a friend of mine back in middle school, sort of a twitchy kid who wore enough dark clothing that me and my friends let him hang around with us. Even back then, Jameson saw into this whole other world. Half the reason we kept him around is because he'd always have some new theory about the "true meaning" of Duel Monsters, or who invented the shadow games, or what planets aligned to give the game its modern revival. We stopped asking questions pretty quickly, and we learned that letting him talk was more interesting than facing him with an argument. Even so, the arguments he and our history teacher had were the stuff of legend, so you might say I'm grateful to him for helping make it all tolerable.

We stopped talking when I dropped out moved into the city, but we traded numbers and found each other online a few years after he graduated. He hadn't changed a bit, and the second we started talking again it was shadow realm this and orichalcos that. I called him because I needed to hear a voice I recognized, and because I knew he'd have some explanation for what I just saw. I never really believed Jameson's big theories and I didn't have any plans to start then, but I needed a clear head. Jameson would be able to put it into context, even if it was paranormal bullshit Jameson-context, and that would be enough to get it off my mind at least.

Jameson took his sweet time picking up the phone. It was halfway through the canned voicemail message before I finally heard him fumbling around with it, muttering something to himself the whole time. Finally, he seemed to get it up to his ear.

"Is this call being traced?" That's Jameson, alright. Quick, terse, no time for courtesy. I like Jameson.

"I dunno. Hey, James."

"Who is this?" His tone was odd. It didn't sound like he didn't recognize me, exactly. It sounded more like I was supposed to give him some kind of code-word.

"Uh, it's Kim? It's been a while, dude. I figured winning the world championship was a good excuse to call you." A couple weeks late, sure, but it was a good excuse.

"Oh. I hadn't heard. What's this about, Kim?" People who'd never so much as touched a deck of cards in their life knew my name, now. Still, I wasn't offended, since Jameson was the undisputed master of not seeing the forest for the trees. Even though he'd been obsessed with all this paranormal Duel Monsters stuff, I'd never once seen him duel. For all I knew, he never had.

"I had a..." Shit, what's the word? "I had a visitation, Jameson. Something bad, I think."

"What was it?" Jameson was terse before, but his voice got sharp when he heard. Serious, in fact. He didn't give me a chance to respond. "Were they Chaos envoys? Shadow Spirits? Do you have any past lives, Kim? You might be a victim of possession."

"Well, I had this dream where this girl turned into some kind of pale-faced demon. She told me I should listen, and left me a note on my bathroom mirror."

"A dream? Did it leave any markings on you? Do you have the Eye of Wdjat on your forehead? You'd be surprised how common that is."

"Just the note, I think."

"The demon – what did it look like? Describe it to me."

"Well, she had this snow-white face and these really thin red lips. The top half of her head was all covered in hair or feathers or somethi-"

"Damn it, Kim!" Jameson had a habit of getting really into his theories, but I'd never heard him this intense before. Right then I figured it was just something that came with age, like he'd marinated in all this para-dueling shit for so long it was as good as real. It made me feel a little better that he sounded concerned, at least. "Do you realize what this is?"

"I wouldn't be calling you if I did."

"You came face-to-face with a spirit of the Shadow Realm! That wasn't a dream you had, that was _her_, stealing you away to do who-knows-what!"

I didn't like the sound of that, but it almost made sense – I couldn't account for how I got in bed, or why I could remember going to Top Deck right after dropping Claudia off. Getting sucked into the Shadow Realm or whatever at least bridged the gap a little, not that I was any stranger to missing big chunks of memory. I wasn't exactly convinced, but Jameson was on a roll.

"Kim, I need you to listen to me because this is life or death. Understand me? _Life or death_!"

"Yeah, sure, life or death." I tried not to sound too put-off, but Jameson was starting to freak me out.

"If I'm right, you've caught _their_ attention, and if you've caught _their _attention that means you've got something _they_ want. I don't know if it's your title or your soul or what, but letting _them_ get it means they're one step closer to absolution. This is bad, Kim. This is really bad."

"Right, and who're _they_, exactly?"

"Shadow duelists, Kim. Followers of the Great Destroyer."

"You mean the metal band?"

"No, I don't mean the metal band! And stop listening to that music, it's probably controlled by them."

I tried my hardest not to snicker. Even back in school, Jameson saw evil everywhere. Every song, every corporation, even the hot dog stand down the road were all controlled by some invisible group of assholes or another. "Alright, so what do I do? Line my house with tinfoil? Commune with aliens?"

"Great ideas, but we don't have time for that. I need you to meet me."

"I- what? Jameson, if you're asking me out, I'm kind of in a shitty mood."

"I'm not 'asking you out,' Kim. Besides, I'm married to my work." Now that, I believed. "I can't explain this over the phone. If we aren't being listened to, we will be. I need you to meet me at my house on 34th and Main in two hours. Can you do that?"

"If my car's parked outside, yeah." I hadn't thought about it until just then, but I realized I had no way of knowing if I'd driven back home in my stupor. Or, you know, if the evil ghost who totally transported me home was thoughtful enough to bring my car back with me.

"Good. I need to make some phone calls. I didn't want to have to go on the offensive, but if they're targeting people like you that means they're almost ready to make their move."

"And what move are they gonna make, exactly?"

"No time to explain. I'll see you when you get here." Jameson paused for a second, muttering something to himself. "I don't know you! How did you get this number? Prank caller, prank caller!" He hung up right after, hopefully before I started laughing. Fucking Jameson. Hadn't changed a bit.


End file.
